Memorial Day reminds us of the full measure of devotion the departed defenders of freedom gave to their country.

This year Memorial Day, a cherished holiday originally known as Decoration Day, will be observed on May 26th. Since 1868, this fourth Monday of May has been set aside as a time to honor the memory of some special people to whom the citizens of this great land owe a tremendous and unpayable debt for the service they rendered to their country.

When John Alexander Logan, a dynamic orator, U. S. Congressman from Illinois and Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, originally called for the observance of Decoration Day, that observance was "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in the defense of their country" during the Civil War. Commander Logan issued the order "with the hope that it would be kept up from year to year," a hope that has been realized.

Later and rightly so, the purpose of Memorial Day was expanded to include others. Now, the annual observance calls us to honor the memory of not only those who in time of any crisis made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country but also those who, through military service, served their country in any time of need.

On this special day, Old Glory, placed there by their remaining comrades or someone acting on their behalf, will mark the final resting places of military veterans who were our friends, our neighbors, and our relatives. These flags, when we see them waving in the warm breezes of spring, should remind us of the full measure of devotion the departed defenders of freedom gave to their country. Furthermore, these flags should signify to everyone who sees them that those who are buried there were patriots who loved liberty and never hesitated nor shrank from duty regardless of the danger. When the summons came to serve their country, they answered by making personal sacrifices, and they responded by unhesitatingly placing their lives in jeopardy as true patriots always do.

While honoring the memory of these patriots is important and, by all means, should be done, the observance of Memorial Day ought to be more. For each one of us, Memorial Day ought to be a clarion call for us to assume personal responsibility. If our country is to remain "the land of the free and the home of the brave," we, too, must be patriots who cherish the rights guaranteed by our Constitution and made secure by the sacrifices of others. Even when facing hardship and difficulty, we should willingly assume all of the responsibilities that accompany pre-serving those cherished rights.

W. Howard Coop is a retired United Methodist Minister and has been a Mason since 1952. He is a Past Master of Lancaster Lodge No. 104, currently serving as Chaplain, and a member of W. R. Selby, Sr., Royal Arch Chapter 4, Danville, Kentucky, and the Scottish Rite Bodies of Louisville, Kentucky.