MY VIEW
ADAY TO REMEMBER
My View By Robert F. Mooney
We can remember when all the people celebrated Memorial Day. How many will do it this year?

Now the celebration is left to the stalwarts of the American Legion, the Board of Selectmen and a few hardy veterans who march to the cemetery and go through the traditional ceremony.

Where are the crowds, the families, the people, the real spirit of Nantucket?

We used to have a great tradition of celebrating

Memorial Day in

Nantucket. On a school day, the children were marched to the Unitarian Church to hear speeches, pledge allegiance, and see the veterans of all American wars, including (until 1943) the last surviving Civil War veteran, James H. Wood. We heard songs like "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Marching Through Georgia," and "Tenting Tonight," which we still remember. Then there was a parade to the cemetery, a salute rendered over the soldiers' graves, and the lilacs carried by the children to lay on the hallowed ground. These memories are hard to forget.

Now it seems we have lost this sense of history. We cannot live in the past, but we can respect it. Nantucket does a good job preserving its houses, its artifacts and its environment. It is time we showed more respect for our traditions, including the best of our American holidays.

Today we have so much to do; our lives are crowded with activities, and our holidays are busy days. Yet we seem to have time for all the parties and festivals that fill the calendar, and there are more every year. This Memorial Day should be a day to slow down, get back to basics and remember those who helped make this our country and our community.

We can start by turning out for this Memorial Day, following the flag to the cemetery, and showing the spirit of the Nantucket past to the people of the Nantucket of today - and hopefully to those of tomorrow.

(Editor's note: This year's Memorial Day parade is Sunday, May 27, commencing from Legion Hall at 1 p.m.)

Robert F. Mooney is a historian, attorney and author of several books about Nantucket.