This is Memorial Day weekend. It is the grand opening of summer. A time to take to the river, the beach, play golf or go fishing. A time for beer and back yard barbeques or family picnics with iced tea and fried chicken. But we all need to stop, reflect and remember.
The original intent of Memorial Day was not to be a day of parties and festivities. It was to be a day of remembrance, a day on which to honor those who had made the supreme sacrifice so that the rest of us could enjoy the freedom that we have. It is a national holiday with its roots in Columbus.
The day’s origins began with the decoration of both Union and Confederate graves with flowers in Columbus on April 25, 1866. It was an early act of reconciliation in a war-torn nation. The act of the ladies in Columbus was quickly picked up by the national press. Articles applauding that simple act of reconciliation soon appeared in The Lancaster (Ohio) Gazette, the Zanesville (Ohio) Courier, the Raleigh, NC, Weekly Standard, the Petersburg, VA, Express, the Cincinnati Courier, a Lexington County, Missouri, weekly, and the New York Tribune. The national coverage of the action of the ‘Ladies of Columbus’ was summed up by the Zanesville Courier: “the ladies of Columbus, Mississippi, have set a noble example worthy of imitation by all. Let it be told where ever news is told, in commemoration of them, and that all may be incited to go and do likewise.”
Today the Friendship Cemetery graves of those who have served their country include men and women from every major conflict. It is truly sacred ground. There are also sons and daughters of Columbus who made the supreme sacrifice but whose remains never made it home. On Memorial Day I can not help but think of one of my father’s close friends, ‘Red Frank.’
The story of Jessie “Red” Franks is a poignant story of heroism that should be remembered, though his remains never made it home.
Red, whose father was pastor of First Baptist Church, was in Seminary studying to be a minister when World War II broke out. As a theology student he was exempt from the draft but felt it was his duty to enlist. He became an Army Air Corps B-24 bombardier stationed in North Africa. He died on the August 1, 1943, raid on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania.
The night before the raid he wrote home: “It will be the biggest and toughest raid yet…we will get our target at any cost…Our planes are made for high altitude bombing but this time we are going in at 50 feet above our target…I know that it will save many lives from the results, so any cost is worth it. So Dad, remember that, and the cost, whatever it may be, was not in vain.”
Red’s remains rest in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium. There are many other heroes, who are not remembered and whose stories have been forgotten or lost and who never returned home. Though all are not known, all should be honored.
There are those who remember the reason for Memorial Day and we all should take their lead and — at least for a while on this holiday weekend — recall and honor those willing to give their lives so that this great nation might remain free. On Saturday I drove through Friendship Cemetery, the resting place of thousands of veterans of campaigns ranging from the American Revolution to the present day. There I witnessed the true meaning of Memorial Day. Scattered across the cemetery were members of the VFW, the American Legion and their families who were giving up their Saturday for a greater cause. They were placing American flags at the graves of the men and women who had served our country.
They remembered the reason we celebrate Memorial Day. It is not about beer and barbeque and backyard parties. It is about the people who gave their lives to protect our country. Do we remember?
Rufus Ward is a local historian. Email your questions about local history to him at [email protected].
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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