Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the USA to honor and remember those who died in service to our nation. The date of the holiday changes but it always falls on the last Monday of May.
The United States has three official days to honor those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces.
- Memorial Day, a federal holiday, is observed the last Monday in May, honors those who have lost their lives in action in service to our nation.
- Veterans Day, a federal holiday, that is observed every year on November 11th to honor all those who have served in the Armed Forces.
- Armed Forces Day is a celebration day that honors all active and former personnel across the six branches of the United States military. It is celebrated on the third Saturday of every May. This year’s (2021) was on May 15.
[Note from Kiffer Brown: As a military brat, I want to pass on the importance of understanding the difference of these three very important days are to military personnel and to their families and loved ones. Thank you]
National Moment of Remembrance
On Memorial Day, remember that there is a National Moment of Remembrance. To honor the moment, pause for one minute at 3 p.m. at your local time, and remember those who have died in service to this nation.
Second Lieutenant Billy Wayne Flynn was killed in action, Vietnam, January 23, 1967. He was 24 years old. (He gave to me my first book of poetry before he left for Vietnam. I still have it. Kiffer Brown)
History of Memorial Day
All of us at Chanticleer have family who have served, and that makes holidays like Memorial Day important to us. We ask you to take time out of your day to remember the veterans in your life and those who have died in active service on this day of reflection.
My father would often tell the story of how his grandfather, Robert, was in France during World War II. At one point a dog came and wouldn’t stop barking at his unit, no matter how much they told it to go away. Finally, Robert said “Va t’en!” and immediately the dog ran off. Everyone was suitably impressed that the dog spoke French!
Memorial Day Started in the Wake of the Civil War
Memorial Day began to be celebrated when the United States was split in two during the Civil War, as the Confederate States seceded from the United States in order to continue to preserve the institution of enslaving people.
The Civil War ended on May 5, 1868, and three years later Major General John Logan formalized that Decoration Day (the original name of Memorial Day) should be on May 30 (now May 31) , chosen probably because that’s when most flowers would bloom across most of the country.
The Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict in terms of US life, with 620,000-750,000 dying throughout its four years. You can see the VA’s (Veteran Affairs) full list of statistics here, and it shows just how long the US has been at war for 245 years we have been a country. After the first World War, Memorial Day officially became more in recognition of all veterans who died serving the US. You can read more about the history of Memorial Day here.
For a long time, people have recognized and honored those who died in war. There’s a record of Pericles (429 B.C.), a statesman in Athens stating:
Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men. ~ Pericles of Athens
Quotes from some of our favorite notable authors:
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.“–Mark Twain
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” – Maya Angelou
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” —Joseph Campbell
Remembering those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice….
Without further ado, the following are recent reviews of books with a military theme that we highly recommend!
The Stories of Veterans and about Those Who Died in Action Matter
We review and award several books each year that have to do with military service. Oftentimes, with Fiction, those books appear in our Somerset, Chatelaine, Laramie and Global Thriller Awards, and in Non-Fiction they appear in our Journey Awards. We also plan to launch a new Non-Fiction division this year that specifically honors and recognizes work with military themes.
NO TOUGHER DUTY, NO GREATER HONOR
By GySgt L. Christian Bussler
First Place Winner in Journey Awards
From a family with a long history of military service dating back to the civil war, GySgt L. Christian Bussler brings to life his experience as a Mortuary Affairs marine and sheds light on a duty that few ever talk about. He is called to duty for his first of three tours in Iraq in February of 2003 after spending many years training as a reservist.
This fear becomes reality when he narrowly escapes an IED blast with his life. Afterward, Bussler wrestles with the guilt of going back home injured, leaving his team behind to fight without him. The final and longest section of No Tougher Duty, No Greater Honor mirrors the length of the final and longest tour from 2005-2006. This tour especially proves to be the most challenging for not just Bussler, but his whole team, and it leaves them all forever changed.
AWAY at WAR: A CIVIL WAR STORY of the FAMILY LEFT BEHIND
By Nick K. Adams
First Place Winner in Laramie Awards
In 1861, like so many other American men, David Brainard Griffen took leave of his family and enlisted in the army, volunteering as a soldier for the Union. Also like so many other American men, he hoped he’d be home in a few months, that this Civil War would soon be over, and he’d be reunited with his wife, Minerva, his daughters, Alice, seven-years-old, Ida May, five-years-old, and his infant son, Edgar Lincoln. To minimize the pain of separation from his family, he wrote them letters from the field of battle, more than 100 accounts of what he was doing and witnessing as a 2nd Minnesota Volunteer. While the book is one of historic fiction, the letters are genuine, and the characters are based on actual people. The author of this fine account, Nick K. Adams, is the great-great-grandson of Corporal David Brainard Griffen.
A CROWDED HEART
By Andrea McKenzie Raine
Willis Hancocks survives fighting in Western Europe during World War II but faces continuing battles of the mind at war’s end in Andrea McKenzie Raine’s poignant study of the plight of the former soldier in her historical novel, A Crowded Heart.
Willis decides to remain in London rather than return to his native Canada where his parents and sister live near Vancouver. Eager to put the war behind him, he marries Ellie, an intelligent young woman who has studied art at Cambridge University. Her affluent parents approve of Willis, and her father offers to finance his new son-in-law’s study of law at Cambridge. The newlyweds’ future could not look rosier.
The SEARCH (ACROSS the GREAT DIVIDE, Book II)
By Michael L. Ross
The Search (Across the Great Divide: Book II)by Michael L. Ross brings to life the history and events of the Westward Expansion in a post-Civil War US. In this sequel to The Clouds of War (Book I), we once again follow Will Crump, now a young Confederate Veteran, a POW survivor, and a sufferer from what must be PTSD. With the war over, nightmares and tension with the family disrupt his life and plans to marry his pre-war sweetheart. He wants to get away from civilization, build a little cabin in the mountains, and live in peace.
Will strikes out on his horse Dusty and soon picks up a stray dog he names Lightening. Both animals play essential roles in Will’s survival throughout his journey, and readers will worry for and root for them as much as for Will as they face the wild west head-on.
The ACK-ACK GIRL (Love and War #1)
By Chris Karlsen
Chris Karlsen’s new work, The Ack-Ack Girl, is the first in her World War II series, Love and War, and serves up plenty of story on both sides of that equation in its portrayal of Ava Armstrong, the “Ack-Ack” girl of the title. And what a story it is!
Bombs are dropping on London in the heat and fire of the infamous Blitz. Shells are falling, as are the buildings that surround them, while fires spring up in the wake of the bombs that never seem to end. But when they finally stop, Ava and her friends are determined to get their loved ones somewhere safe and to find a way to serve up some revenge on the Germans.
CHASING DEMONS
By John Hansen
First Place Winner in Laramie Awards
In the first several pages of Chasing Demons, a novel of the Old West not long after the American Civil War, the following happens to U.S. Army Private Gus O’Grady: he kills two Apache Indians, saves the lives of a troop of U.S. soldiers, kills two more Indians, kills a bad guy, winds up being mistaken for a man who may have robbed a bank of $20,000 in gold, and gets arrested for possibly being the man who raped a lass in an Arizona town populated by Mormons, and meets a woman he thinks is far too good for him. Oh yes, and he deserts the Army after 13 years.
That’s just for openers.
Have a great story about veterans and war history?
When you’re ready, did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services? We do and have been doing so since 2011.
Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).
If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.
We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis. Contact us today!
Chanticleer Editorial Services also offers writing craft sessions and masterclasses. Sign up to find out where, when, and how sessions being held.
A great way to get started is with our manuscript evaluation service, with more information available here.
And we do editorial consultations for $75. Learn more here.
If you’re confident in your book, consider submitting it for a Editorial Book Review here or to one of our Chanticleer International Awards here.
Also remember! We’re hosting our 2020 CIBA Ceremonies for First Place Category and Grand Prize Winners June 5th at the Hotel Bellwether in Beautiful Bellingham, Wash. Attending the June 5, 2021 VIRTUAL Ceremonies for the 2020 CIBAs is Free. However, registration is required. We will have the link posted on our website after the Finalists are announced.
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