Salt Lake Tribune | 1995-05-29 | Page 7

A5 The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH/WORLD Monday, May29, 1995 Was Beginning Ofa Tradition @ Continued from A-1 teries. From 1868 to 1919, Memorial Day ceremonies were the nearly exclusive province of the GAR, the Union Army veterans organization foundedin 1866. When Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulyssees S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Va., on April 9, 1865, shot, shell, gangrene and disease had killed 600,000 Billy Yanks. Union survivors of the four years of conflict numbered about 1.6 million. The organization’s national commander, Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, issued an orderto all GAR posts in 1868 to hold memorial services at the gravesoftheirfallen comrades on May 30. The order said the ‘purpose of memorial services was to strew with flowers or otherwise decorate the graves of those who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and with the hopeit will be kept up from year to Logan borrowed the idea of decorating graves from the mothers, wives, and sisters of the South whobeganhonoring the dead with bouquets laid on both Federal and Confederate graves as early as 1865, calling the ritual “Decoration Day.” Southern womenlaid flowers on Northerners’ graves because every major battle fought in the war took place on Southern soil — with the exception of the pivotal struggle at Gettysburg, Pa. Union enlisted men were buried where they fell in mass graves. Only the bodies of officers were gathered during after-battle truces and shipped homefree of charge by the U.S. government. Just getting officers’ bodies backto the family plot was a challenge in those days before refrigerated rail cars, so formaldehyde embalming was invented, a spinoff of the war and a boonto the mortuary business. But as the years passed, the scarcity of soldier graves in the North was remedied bythe aging process, and even those children of 12 who served in the Union Army grew up, grew old, and died. As with the Ogden GAR post in 1925, the dead far outnumbered theliving. The last Civil War vet died in 1956, preceded by the death of the GARitself, which disbanded for lack of membersin 1949. age to walk, rode in carriages Every business in town was closed and decorated with red, white, and blue bunting and Old Glory. With the rest of the town’s population standing along the tree-lined streets, the marching units led by the “‘old vets” went to the cemetery. The spectators then joined the procession. A monument— its size depending on how manyvets came from that town — wasthecenterof the cemetery service, including a prayer, a speech, a volley, and Taps, preceded the “‘strewing of flowers’ on the graves. That done, all marched back to the town square and the afternoon picnic, where more warstories were told, old acquaintances renewed, the latest pension plan and the next national “GAR encampment” discussed. The last such encampment of any size washeldat Gettysburg in 1936. Forthe first time, Confederate “Johnny Reb” veterans wereaskedto attend, and old men from both sides re-enacted a heart-wrenching version of Pickett’s Charge, the turning point of the war. This time, when the men in gray reached the menin blue under the spread of trees that marked the center of the Union defensive line, they hugged each other. Korean War Veterans Get Own Memorial @ Continued from A-1 Maneuvers Show Strengths,ILimits Of Europe’s NATO Counterpart By Bernard Edinger many of our boys wentthere. “They called it a police action but that was wrong. It was a war Believe me, it was a war.” That it was. Sent to South Korea after it was attacked in 1950 by North Korea, U.S. soldiers endured some of the most savage combat ever experienced. By the macabre ratio of such things, the Korean War was more costly than the Vietnam War. According to the Pentagon, 36,914 Americans died in the Korean theater between the outbreak of hostilities on June 25, 1950, and an armistice signed July 27, 1953. The Vietnam War claimed 58,000 lives, but it persisted for more than 10 years. In 1982, Vietnam veterans dedicated the memorialtheyso richly deserved. Veterans of both world wars havea variety of monuments in Washington. But the Korean-era veterans around the nation were denied a parallel honor. For many decades, the absence of a national memorial angered them. They fought valiantly and well. But their efforts and sacrifice were not recognized. It didn’t seem fair. The Korean War veteranslobbied andagitated, negotiated and maneuvered. Finally, in 1986, they woncongressional authorization to build a memorialin the nation's capital. Now,the $17 million project — funded by private and corporate donations — is almost complete Located near the Lincoln Memorial, across the Reflecting Pool from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean Veterans Memorial features a triangularfield on which 19 soldiers appearto be marching. At the point of the triangle is REUTER NEWSSERVICE PORT VENDRES,France — French, German, Belgian and Spanish troops “battled’’ through southwest France to rescue hundredsofcivilians trapped between the warring states of ‘‘Landes” and “Midi The maneuvers, involving armor from units like Germany’s 10th Panzerdivision, were the most wideranging so far by the nascent Eurocorps whose founders see it as the nucleus of a future European army and a supplement to NATO. Eurocorps, which on paper has 50,000 troops, was testing its capacity to project a force overseas in a crisis in which the United States, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization it leads, had decided not to commit ground troops. Europe nowfaces such a situation in ex-Yugoslavia “Landes” and Midi” are fictional states and the exercise really took placein bright sunshinenear the Mediterranean coast, close to the foothills of the snowcapped Pyrenees mountains on the FrancoSpanish border. Butofficers clearly had in mind crises such as that in the African state of Rwandalast year when Paris tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to muster allies to intervene alongside its own troops to halt massacres. “Whenwegoto Africa . . euhhh, I mean Midi,” one French generaltold reporters. Whatreporters sawwasa far cry from November 1993 when Eurocorpswas created and the two dozen staff officers then making up the wholeforceeasily fitted into the briefing room at its headquarters in Strasbourg on the Franco-Germanborder. The maneuvers demonstrated capacity to move men and gear from different areas of western Europe byair, sea andrail. can 8,007 ADVERTISMENT 10,000% Profit On Tax Liens Begining in June, Tax Collectors will again be offering defaulted tax property to the public with bids starting under $100. Upto 100 times return, (10,000% profit) on thesetax lien certificates, is- sued by various counties, are now possible througha little-known program administed and guaranteed by the government. For additional Tecorded information call [phone] KEALAADAAABADAE Civil War But in 1890, when GAR membership peaked at about 500,000, it was a political force to be reckoned with. By promising block votes, GARlobbyists got state and federal pensions for all Union veterans and their wives. Preparation for Ogden’s celebration of Memorial Day in 1890 began on the last day of school before the ceremonial day. Students would assemble to recite war poems such as “O, Captain, My Captain,” sing “Marching Through Georgia,” recite the Gettysburg Address, and listen to a GAR “old vet” tell warstories. On May29, the GAR’s women’s auxiliary made bouquets from donated flowers and put them in tubs of water to keep them fresh. Early on Memorial Day, the town’s Civil War cannon boomed. Veterans squeezed into old uniforms and gathered at the Union Memorial Hall where the GAR hadits headquarters. Starting at the statue of a Yankee soldier looking valiantly back into the past — bought by the GARfrom iron foundries that had scores of such generic statuary — the parade formed. The school and firemen’s band, instruments burnished, took their places. Other students would straggle into sloppy ranks. Then the GAR would marchout, beards flowing, eyes misty, and walking tall. Some, already too frail with It showed it could quickly set up a major field headquarters in contact with formations in five membercountries. The fifth is Luxembourg, also a member but without troops in the May 15-June 1 *“Eurotransitex” exercise But the maneuvers underlined the lack of keystrategic lift capacity. Much equipmentarrived aboard a giant civilian Antonov-24 cargo plane chartered from Ukraine “You're right, it’s a real problem. In a genuine crisis, we hope the U.S. Air Force would send some of its giant Galaxy aircraft,” said Eurocorps commander Gen. Helmut Willman. Some 1,300 troops took part in the maneuvers, whichcalled for the rescue of up to 1,200 Europeans held hostage in the fictional conflict “This maneuver is mostly to test command and communications capabilities. In a real situation we would use about 4,000 men. But it’s expensive to move people around and wehave to watch costs, said French Gen. Francois Clere For the time being, Eurocorpsintervention in Africa would dependonits conscripts volunteering for the mission. Many French peacekeepersin ex-Yugoslavia are volunteer conscripts. But most conscripts do not want to fight in tropical countries. “Give us time,” said Willman who last year headed Eurocorps troops parading on Paris’ Champs-Elysees avenue in what was both a demonstration of European unity and a highly symbolic gesture of Franco-Germanreconciliation. “Whetherweact alone or under NATO command. we are destined to becomea pillar of the Western world’s defense.” FISH FRESH - SALT . REEF - MARINE LD! WORLDS OF PETS 675 E. 2100 South 467.6478 at's right... fora limited time alk SS ACT will pay yourinsurance deductible We to $100. Approvedby Insurance companies. THELAMP COMPANY Fast, Free mobile service from Ogden to Provo. FOR LAMP. REPAIRS peReal oe 487-9636 Glass ct Quality 933-8844 Glass Group. A Division of ACct wo 10:6 he oY oe found a small reflecting pond and Valeatle Cauporr— a message engraved in stone: “Freedom Is NotFree.” For many veterans, this memorial reflects 40 years of effort. For manyveterans, this Memorial Day weekendis special. “I'm going to raise the flag and Till salute it, and I'll have tear in 9 14” 2-Item my eye,” said Benjamin. “I'll be thinking of a lot of good men and women whonever came back and will never see the memorialwefinally built for them.” § Pizza & 1 Doz. Garlic Rolls Get the most for fad With Any Other Discounts 1624 S, 1100 E. ires July 31, 1995 your moneyat MOUNTAIN: GARDEN FOUNTAINS The best deal on starter kits ©: Beer Kit = Complete to Brew : 5 Gallons EnormousSelection of Fountains For Inside or Outside Your Home. Many Sizes & Styles... Perfect For Any Garden or Home... Fountains add an enchanting touch to your yard or homewith elegant visual watereffects & the refreshing, soothing sounds of a waterfall. 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