For a brief period Monday, several Confederate flags will fly over Idlewilde Cemetery as part of the American Legion’s honoring of Memorial Day.
    That may seem strange, and it has not been without controversy here in past years, but it is nonetheless fitting. At least four of the men buried at Idlewilde served in the Confederate Army, according to American Legion records.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves.

It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers.

During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery. With wounds still fresh from the Civil War, the nation honored the fallen from both sides of the conflict.

No matter whose name and birthplace is on a gravestone, the Memorial Day flags flutter north or south, east or west.

Memorial Day stands as a day to honor the sacrifice of individuals. It is the living memory of men and women, and their sacrifices, which we honor each year. The flag they fought for then may not be the one to support now, or the cause they die for now may not be one everyone supports, but what we value as a society is the individual’s sacrifice.

Give a moment of your day Monday to remember those who served.