This is a common sight at this time of year - graves of veterans with American flags stuck in the ground next to them. Next Monday is Memorial Day, which is a holiday when Americans remember soldiers who died fighting in wars, starting with the Revolutionary War in the 18th century all the way up to our current war in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, America has been involved in a lot of wars and has therefore lost a lot of young men and women in the process. Does your country have its own "Memorial Day"? Write your thoughts about wars and soldiers and the ways countries remember their veterans - both alive and dead.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Journal Question #35 (2010-2011)
This is a common sight at this time of year - graves of veterans with American flags stuck in the ground next to them. Next Monday is Memorial Day, which is a holiday when Americans remember soldiers who died fighting in wars, starting with the Revolutionary War in the 18th century all the way up to our current war in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, America has been involved in a lot of wars and has therefore lost a lot of young men and women in the process. Does your country have its own "Memorial Day"? Write your thoughts about wars and soldiers and the ways countries remember their veterans - both alive and dead.
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Today I went for a run. I ran to the cemetery, and when I ran around the cemetery. I saw a lot of American flags stuck in the ground next to the graves. I also saw some people was there, and taking care of the graves. It must mean the Memorial Day is coming soon. I also see how important it is in America. In my country we have a day to Memorial Day too. It s July first. Is the day that China People's Liberation Army get build
ReplyDeleteI love Memorial Day and i will have another day off on Monday. As the picture's shown us that there should be many flags on the grave because it's a holiday when Americans remember soldiers. Actually i think almost every country has their own Memorial Day. Of course my country has a holiday for the soldiers too. But i can't remember which day it is and we don't put a flag beside the soldiers graves. We do some other stuff for them.
ReplyDeleteI'm little bit of surprise about there is only 2 people are commented the blog. First I think the Memorial day is good, because we can have a long weekend. But I like the idea to set up a day like Memorial day in china. If we have a day like this we can to do some assembly activities to the dead people, especially for our relatives. And I think Chinese government did pretty good job on setting a day like Memorial day in china. In china we called Memorial day as "Qing Ming festival ". In the Qing Ming people are often go to the cemetery to remember their dead relatives. In the past we don't have a holiday on the QIng MIng so we are often need skip a day of school to visit the cemetery. Which is not good for our school work.
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ReplyDeleteMy country has "Memorial Day" too. It is on the lunar calendar. We don't put the flag next to the solidier graves like Americans do. We just have a day off and people who have relative who joined the war, they will visit their relative and take care for the graves.
ReplyDeleteI love " Memorial Day" because we can remember and express our love to the people who died fighting in wars. It's really great.
I don't think our country have a day call "Memorial Day" to memory the death soldiers. But we do have a holiday call " Qing Ming Jie" in order to memorize our dead relative. And in July 1st and August 1st, we have two holiday to celebrate the army and party's contribution. Also, people in China remember the days that the war begin so that we can remember how painful war is.
ReplyDeleteFor the soldiers, government provide a lot of good rights for them as they are the people who protect out lives. They can get free medical treatment, free tickets and a lot of stuff. And for the people who died because of protecting others, government will give money and honor for their families to remember the dead.
We don't have Memorial Day in China. Maybe there are too many wars happen in China. We cannot choose which war is the most important for us to memory. I think the reason for American crate Memorial Day is there are to many people died in this civil war. Those solders have been killed by people who have the same citizenship. No other way to died can worse than this way. People who have the same citizenship should be protect their country together instead of consume themselves.
ReplyDeleteToday is Memorial Day! My homestay parents told me that Memorial Day not only a holiday to memorize the dead soldiers, but also means summer is coming. I feel the really summer today without air conditioner. It is soooooo hot.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think my country has a Memorial Day. We do have a holiday, which is celebrate the army’s contribution in August 1st. And we also have a holiday that memorizes all the dead people in April 5th.
I think every country has different ways to memorize their dead soldiers. I wanna learn some more ways that other countries do.
Happy Memorial Day~~~
My country has similar "Memorial Day" for Soldier, July first, Is the day that China People's Liberation Army get build. It's meaningful to have a day like it, for the people who make a contribution to their country or given his or her life for our liberty.and happy day off
ReplyDeleteIn china we have a similar day called "army build day" in 1st August.
ReplyDeleteToday is memorial day, i went out for exercise,when i arrive the cemetery i saw lots of US flag next to the tombstone, some people walk in the cemetery.
people need remember solider dead for country,but i think human need peace not war, today we still have lots of wars in the world,i hope we can stop it,in this way,we have a better life.
happy day off~~~~~
In China, I think we have a similar day on August the first.I love Memorial Day,because we have a day off,but I also feel sad at the same time, because of the dead soliders.
ReplyDeleteThese soliders were dead in Cilvil War.They fight for themselves and they made a great progress from their country. I think if a person made great progress for his or her country, he or she should be remembered.
I think many countries have their own way dan date to commemorate their hero-soliders.I think these people are so brave. I learn a lot from them.I think we all should fight for our own country.
TA concert band play for the Memorial Day's pray. Luckily, I'm the member of the band. So I get up early to prepare for the pray. Everyone was so seriousness. We played The Star Spangled Banner under the flag and walk from bidford to saco. Such a like time, the weather was soooo hot. Everyone should remember that part of history and everyone should remember that soldiers who are dead in the war.
ReplyDeleteTinTim, do we have Memorial Day in China? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteIn April, we commemorate died people, which is usually for our dead relatives.
In July 1s, we celebrate the army's contribution.
In August 1st, we celebrate the party's contribution.
I think this is the more accurate discretion so far.
I always hold a feeling of respect solders, especially for solders who died in the war. They fought for their country. They were willing to sacrifice their lives. That is a great spirit. Not everyone has such kind of courage to do that.
I knew Gavin got up really early for the pray, and I regretted about not going to see the pray. If I have chance, I want to see the pray next year.
Sunny, I agree with u, I think we have Memorial Day, but we don't have a day like American Memorial Day.
ReplyDeleteMore people in China, they go to their family's monument on Memorial Day.
But now many schools have activity about going to solders monuments.
I think we have this activity and this day, because we need to study feel grateful, we can't forget them who dead in the war, who dead because counties. We have today because them!
I went to the pray today, It's good.
I think by "pray," Bill, Sunny, and Gavin mean, "Parade." Lots of towns have Memorial Day parades, which usually include marching bands, fire trucks, and soldiers. The parades often end at a cemetery, where someone speaks and people remember the sacrifices of soldiers.
ReplyDeleteIn China, we have a festival called "Qing Ming".It's like the Memorial Day.We are not only remember the soldiers,but also remember all the dead people.The day is on April 5th.
ReplyDeleteYesterday,there are two flags in my hostfamily.They told me that on "Memorial Day",every family is gonna have flags to hang on the house to memorize the soldiers.
I hate wars.But, nobody can really stop them. There were a lot of wars happened in China, thousands of people died.
I know that American government give the veterans the best welfare.The veterans can get free medical treatment and go some place for free.Also,the dead soldiers' families can earn the honors.But,not only the soldiers need protection.Everyone need to be protected.
I like this one star, '' not only soldiers need protection. Every one need to be protected.'' what a meaning thing to say, well done.
ReplyDeleteI think we don't have a day to only use to memorial the soliders that dead in the wars. But we have a kinda festival to let people memorial all the people who died. Most of the people will only go back to the cemetery that who died in their family and memorial them. But i think we need a day to memorial the soliders though, cause there is so many chinese soliders that died in the wars, and we should respect them and remember them..
Once I was playing tennis in Westbook, I saw lots of people prayed in front of the grave. At that time, the American flag seemed so sad, the scene in my eyes became black and white. In memory of the soldiers who died since the Civil War to the World War II. Today is their history.
ReplyDeleteWe have "Qing Ming" festival, which family go to the graves together and clean the tombstone or bring some flowers to the dead people. We all hope the soul of dead people can have better life in the heaven. Although we haven't set a day use for memory soldiers, but we do learning their history in study books and poetry.
God bless them...
In China, we celebrate April 5th for Memorial Day. This is the most important day of sacrifice. Both the Han and minority ethnic groups at this time offer sacrifices to their ancestors and sweep the tombs of the diseased. Also, they will not cook on this day and only cold food is served.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind Memorial Day is a very holy day! We need memorize the man or woman who died in the war. They died made this new and peaceful world. Memorial Day we would better go buy some flowers for them. In China i don't think we have a traditional holiday for died soldiers. TIn Tin gives us a big wrong answer. The August 1st is Chinese army created day. Only people work for military have this holiday and this day. China has been involved in so many wars too. I think double more chinese men or women in process even teenagers too. Especially In WW2. So many soldiers in China they join the army are not follow any military steps and they are not signed any documents when they join army. So only there group's master know who he is. Chinese government even don't know they have this army. But most of the soldiers are have the military documents so we know who they are. And in Beijing we have a very big building for memorize the soldiers died in WW2. I think Chinese won't forget WW2. Memorial Day for American might a very important day especially you has family members died in the war. For our international students we just enjoy one more day off and shopping with the special cheap prices.
ReplyDeletein china i don’t think we have a festival only for the soldiers who died in the war. but we have april tomb festival. it is a special day to memorized the people who we care about but already passed away. this festival is set in april because april usually rains. so it gives sad feeling both natural and social environment to think about the died people. if somebody passed away, their family and friends would burn some “money” made by paper. so that the person who died would give some money to the ghost underground. so the ghost would not make difficulties to them. and also they would buy a bigger house and some new clothes. also, people will go to visit their tomb and talk with them so that they would not feel lonely. actually, this festival makes the people still alive feel better because they it seems like the people the love never gone. they just stay at another place. and they still have approach to communicate with each other. in this case, although sometimes it not scientific, but it gives people a positive emotion.
ReplyDeleteThe memorial day was a new experience for me. In Spain we dont have that kind of vacation because we haven't really participated in as many wars as the USA has. The most similar vacation that we have in Spain is "El dia de las Fuerzas Armadas", which translation is Armed Forces Day. During this past Memorial Day i didn't really do something characteristic from this celebration. I didn't go to the church or to any cemetery to pray for any soldier. I just spend my day with Mr Morse going fishing. Actually I found the Memorial Day a really nice day because the Americans remember those people who have sacrificed their lives for the goodness of their nations. The Patriotism of the people from the USA is something that i really like and i wish that Spain was like this country in that aspect.
ReplyDeletewe do have a holiday call " Qing Ming Jie" in order to memorize our dead relative. And in July 1st and August 1st.
ReplyDeleteI hate wars.But, nobody can really stop them. There were a lot of wars happened in China, thousands of people died.
I know that American government give the veterans the best welfare.The veterans can get free medical treatment and go some place for free.Also,the dead soldiers' families can earn the honors.But,not only the soldiers need protection.Everyone need to be protected.