Mount Carmel Lions Club  makes push to return Memorial Day to May 30

By Kimberly Long , Staff Writer

MOUNT CARMEL — In an effort to remember what Memorial Day is all about, the Mount Carmel Lions Club is supporting a national movement to change the annual holiday to May 30.  Anthony Miscavige, past president of the club, brought information to the Lions Wednesday night, who went on record May 22 to support the effort.  Miscavige said he wants to return the holiday back to May 30, not the last Monday in May, and have people remember what it is for.  Warren Altomare, Lions president, said many people see the holiday as another day off and spend the day shopping. He said there are not many World War II veterans left and he would like to see the change made so they can witness it in their lifetimes. “We want to revive it for the World War II veterans,” Altomare said.  Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, and was first celebrated on May 30, 1868, following the Civil War. Memorial Day was not observed by all U.S. states until after World War I. In 1971, Congress changed the date of May 30 to the last Monday in May, ensuring a three-day weekend.

News-Item photo by Kimberly Long
Warren Altomare, left, and Anthony Miscavige stand along Wightman's Dam outside Mount Carmel prior to Wednesday's Mount Carmel Lions Club meeting.

Among items Miscavige presented was information from  www.usmemorialday.org,  which states:
“Over the years, the meaning of Memorial Day has faded more and more from the public consciousness. From a solemn day of mourning, of remembrance, and of honor to our departed loved ones, it has degenerated into a weekend of barbecues and beaches where only token nods toward our honored dead are given, if at all. Too many people don't even know what the day stands for,” the Web site reads.
Altomare and Miscavige urge local citizens, civic groups and veterans groups to write to their representatives and senators to support Senate Bill S 189 that would restore Memorial Day to May 30 and recognize veterans for the sacrifices they have made for the nation.  The bill was introduced to the Senate and the House of Representatives in 1999. The bill was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, but no action has been taken since then.  The Mount Carmel Lions Club has sent letters to several representatives, including Representative Donald Sherwood, R-6, and Senators Arlen Specter, Rick Santorum and Daniel K. Inouye. They have also sent a letter to President Bush requesting the change.  “We think by putting it back where it belongs, it will make everybody aware of what it really is about and why we do it,” said Altomare.
Altomare and Miscavige provided the following addresses for which to send letters endorsing a May 30 Memorial Day: President George W. Bush, United States of America, White House, Washington, D.C.; Representative Donald Sherwood, House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515; and Senators Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum, Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510.

©The News Item 2003

Editorial

Mount Carmel Lions right about Memorial Day

07/15/2003

It’s not about turning back time, it’s about returning to our principles.
Mount Carmel Lions Club deserves credit for fighting a battle that deserves to be fought. The club is enthusiastically supporting a national campaign to return Memorial Day to its traditional May 30 observance.
Club members are right. Since the “30th of May” has been moved to the last Monday in May, this once solemn holiday has been relegated to a three-day weekend in which the sacrifices of veterans are hardly recognized at all by the vast majority of Americans. Indeed, there are probably few people under the age of 40 who could accurately identify the meaning behind the holiday.
When Memorial Day was observed on May 30 — no matter what day of the week it fell on — there was certainly more participation in Memorial Day events, more visits to cemeteries, more attendance at scheduled religious services and certainly more respect for the efforts put forth in all our wars by those who proudly wore the uniform of our country.
There is nothing wrong with families getting together in appropriate outdoor activities on a national holiday, but Americans have lost the primary focus on what Memorial Day is all about.
Hats off to the Mount Carmel Lions Club and others who are working hard to put us back on the right track.
Each cemetery is the final resting place of veterans from our communities who answered the call to defend our nation and our way of life. How can we appreciate the freedoms we enjoy if we fail to recognize that freedom exacts a human cost? We should all take Memorial Day to heart, and we should resolve to celebrate it in a manner that recognizes our honored dead.
Legislation to restore the holiday to May 30 has been introduced in the U.S. Congress, but it’s unlikely any action will occur unless representatives and senators hear from more of their constituents. To that end, we all should follow the Mount Carmel Lions Club’s example and forward letters to our elected leaders urging for a return to the traditional May 30 Memorial Day.

©The News Item 2003