Memorial Day celebrations around the state; Grafton parade in 156th consecutive year

Some of those soldiers are buried thousands of miles away. Others are interred in American cemeteries.

On Monday, May 29, the Mountain State and the nation will pay tribute to the fallen, as has been done in some form for every year since 1868, when people gathered to pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Civil War dead.

One of the nation’s oldest ceremonies is in nearby Grafton, where fallen soldiers have been memorialized for 156 consecutive years. Ceremonies also will be held elsewhere around the Mountain State, from patriotic motorcycle rides to parades to solemn ceremonies in cemeteries.

In Grafton, even as the COVID-19 pandemic loomed, the West Virginia Memorial Day Committee maintained their commitment and produced a small symbolic parade in remembrance of those who had been lost, said West Virginia Memorial Day Committee Director Scott Willis.

Grafton is home to the Memorial Day Committee, which works to organize and fundraise for Grafton’s annual Memorial Day parade, said Willis.

The Memorial Day Committee was founded in 1980. It combined the efforts of the American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans and other veterans organizations in Grafton.

A holiday memorializing fallen soldiers was initially conceived by the wife of General John A. Logan, a Civil War officer and congressman from Illinois.

Mrs. Logan was deeply moved after seeing a mourning woman place spring blossoms on the grave of a loved one. She later related the scene to her husband, who, in 1868, introduced a bill to Congress proposing an annual holiday of remembrance.

Decorating graves at the Grafton National Cemetery began a year later when the mayor of Grafton encouraged citizens and their children to join Civil-War veterans in observance of “Flower Strewing Day,” as it was called then.

“Flower Strewing Day” remained the name until 1882, when the Grafton Unit of the Grand Army of the Republic was organized and adopted the name, “Memorial Day.”

The Memorial Day Committee received over 150 entries into the Memorial Day Parade this year. Those who plan to watch the parade can expect to see: Impressive floats built by local businesses, veteran and military organizations marching with accoutrements, and the many primary and secondary school students from Taylor County who participate in the parade every year, Willis said.

Two well known out-of-state entertainers will also be attending the parade. The Pittsburgh Steelers Steeline drum-line team has been a regular attendee for the last five years, Willis said.

And, “a gentleman out of Georgia who’s retrofitted his Ford Mustang to look like Lightning McQueen from the movie ‘Cars’ will also be in the parade and should be popular with the youngsters,” Willis said.

In Grafton, the weekend before Memorial Day is “The Spirit of Grafton” celebration.

While the Memorial Day Committee wants to provide entertainment for the children, Memorial Day is a reverent celebration.

“The Purple Heart is the medal awarded to soldiers for being wounded in combat. The only way to earn a Purple Heart, is through shedding blood,” Senior Vice Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 418, Harold Wilson said.

On Memorial Day, veterans first celebrate those who weren’t lucky enough to come home, Wilson said.

“Those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom deserve our recognition,” Wilson said.

After celebrating the fallen, veterans should also celebrate all other living veterans, Wilson said.

“No matter what branch of the military they served in, we should celebrate our fellow service members,” Wilson said.

The Sunday before Memorial Day, a memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Pruntytown, General Chair of the Memorial Day Committee Doug Robinson said.

Monday morning, traffic will close for the parade between 8-8:30 a.m., and at 10 a.m., the parade begins by the red light by Main Street and Bridge Street, Robinson said. The Parade ends at the Grafton National Cemetery where another memorial service is held after the parade.