You would hope that all schools in the United States teach students about why our country observes Memorial Day.
However, if schools do cover that topic, you also kind of wonder if a lot of students didn’t pay attention during the lesson or forgot what was taught.
We raise that point after reviewing the results of a survey focusing on Memorial Day that was conducted in 2020 by OnePoll for the University of Phoenix.
The survey of 2,000 Americans revealed that just 43 percent were aware Memorial Day is a holiday honoring those who died in service while in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Twenty-eight percent mistakenly believed Memorial Day was a holiday honoring all military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces — which is actually Veterans Day.
A third of respondents — 36 percent — also admitted to being unsure of the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Granted, the OnePoll survey was conducted three years ago. But we don’t think public awareness about Memorial Day has increased dramatically since that time.
Unfortunately, the true purpose of Memorial Day seems to be overlooked every year, as many people focus more on the occasion being a holiday that marks the unofficial start of the summer season.
Plenty of people look forward to Memorial Day because they get a paid holiday from work, and can use their free time for having cookouts or heading to the beach or an amusement park for recreation.
Sadly, many of these same people never carve out time on Memorial Day to attend a community observance, where they could pay tribute to American military members who have died in service to the United States during peace and war.
Here are some of the Memorial Day ceremonies slated for May 29 in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties:
• Eastlake will be hosting a service at 11 a.m. at the Boulevard of 500 Flags, located at 35150 Lakeshore Blvd.
• Perry area activities will take place at several times and locations. An initial program will be held at 9 a.m. in North Perry Village at Townline Park. Next, there will be a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at Perry Cemetery on Center Road in Perry Township. Then at 11 a.m., the parade in Perry Village steps off at Harper Street, and marches along Main Street to the Perry Historical Museum. Finally, at 11:40 a.m., there will be a veterans recognition ceremony outside the museum.
• Kirtland will host a parade and ceremony at 11 a.m. in conjunction with Barber-Williams American Legion Post 609. The parade will march from Kirtland High School, 9150 Chillicothe Road, to City Hall, 9301 Chillicothe Road. A service will follow at the adjacent Kirtland Area Veterans Memorial.
• Euclid will start its events at 7:45 a.m. with a graveside service led by Euclid Joint Veterans Council at Euclid Cemetery, 20239 Concordia St., the city’s oldest cemetery. A parade, featuring more than 30 community groups, will start at 10 a.m. and go from Lakeshore Boulevard near Sims Park to Euclid City Hall on East 222nd Street.
• Mayfield Heights will hold a service at 10 a.m. in the City Hall East Parking lot, located at 6154 Mayfield Road. The event’s keynote speaker will be Tim Coffey, a combat airborne corporal of the 20th Engineer Brigade.
• Chardon Veterans of Foreign War Post 6519 will hold a ceremony at 11 a.m. at Chardon Municipal Cemetery, located at 201 Park Ave.
• Painesville will host a parade and ceremony in conjunction with American Legion Post 336. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Riverside Cemetery, 385 Riverside Drive, and march to Evergreen Cemetery, 501 E. Main St. After the parade, the American Legion will conduct a service at Evergreen Cemetery.
• In Munson Township, there will be a service at 8:30 a.m. at Maple Hill Cemetery, 13480 Auburn Road. The speaker will be Brigadier Gen. James R. Parry.
Make no mistake: Memorial Day is intended to honor those Americans who died in military service to our nation. Please take time to salute these people, who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the freedoms that we enjoy today.
