The Memorial Day ceremony today at Pioneer & Military Memorial Park featured wreath-laying by several Civil War organizations, a reading of the Gettysburg Address by the Commander of the SUVCW's new Department of the Southwest, singing/clapping/bagpipes, a talk featuring a local (Phoenix) angle on the meaning of Memorial Day, and tables staffed by organizations that focus on Civil War history. One speaker noted that the casualties of the Civil War in today's terms would be as though 6 million U.S. service men and women had been killed in the war on terror since September 11, 2001. If you care about Civil War history and maybe more importantly, the issues for which the Union side fought, consider joining one (or more) of the Five Allied Orders that carry on the work of the Grand Army of the Republic after 1865. The Allied Orders are not reenactors (i.e., you will not have to buy a uniform and your own cannon.) For men, there is the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW). For women there are the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (for direct descendants), the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (if you have a relative who served for the Union but is not necessarily a direct ancestor), the Women's Relief Corps (for any woman who cares about veterans and Civil War history), and the Auxiliary to SUVCW (any of the above qualifications.) The amount of activity involved depends on where you live and which group you choose, so please visit all of these sites and pick one. Keep green the memory.
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AuthorThe author is a historian with a Ph.D. in US history and a love for genealogy and old photos. Archives
August 2018
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