Kristen Snyder of Cadette Troop 840 and Jennifer Baarda, an Ambassador with Senior Troop 889, offer a Scout salute after placing a wreath by a memorial honoring those who have served in the Armed Forces. This year the younger generation took over this task at Montague Township's annual Memorial Day observance, honoring those who have served.

MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCE

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013 10:00 A.M.

AT THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING

Memorial Day - recalled as Decoration Day!

Image courtesy of  http://memorialday-2013.com

A 1869 local newspaper clipping,
related the significance of the event and the level of participation,

 after the official observance was first designated on May 30th of 1868,
following the Civil War. 

The name later would evolve to "Memorial Day", with the inclusion of honoring gravesites of all who served in the military. It was not until 1971 that a change, moving the observance to the last Monday in May, occurred.

The article notes the decoration of the grave of Capt. Cornelius C. Shimer,
 "a brave and gallant soldier" - one of Montague's own.

Our hearts go out to those impacted by the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma!

While tornadoes of that magnitude are rare in this region, there have been instances when a twister touched down.
In light of warmer weather approaching, become familiar with basic steps to take before there is ever such an alert issued.

Armed Forces Day was first celebrated in 1950. 

Since then, it has been recognized annually on the 3rd Sat. in May. 

The United States Armed Forces were unified under the Department of Defense following World War II. In 1949, the Secretary of Defense L. Johnson announced the creation of a unified Armed Forces Day to replace separate celebrations by the five U.S. service branches: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The U.S. Dept. of Defense Armed Forces Day website, "President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country."