Eagle Feathers #205 – Memorial Day

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

The tradition began in 1868 with the men of the Grand Army of the Republic. They designated May 30 as a day for decorating the graves of those who had fallen in the Civil War with flowers. It later became a day when parades and orations celebrated the victories of both Armies, the Blue and the Gray. The graves of these veterans numbered over 600,000, and they are found in thousands of their hometowns throughout the country.

In New England, Rhode Island first made it a legal holiday in 1874, followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, and in 1881 Massachusetts. Following World War I, the day of observance was changed to honor not only the Civil War dead, but all American veterans who lost their lives in all of her wars. Today, it is known as Memorial Day.

There are two cemeteries in Somerville. The newer cemetery is located on Broadway near the Arlington line and is one of the only veterans “killed in action” cemeteries in the nation. The older burial ground is located on Somerville Avenue opposite School Street. A fifteen-foot high, eagle-adorned monument stands prominently in its center and is dedicated to Somerville’s slain Civil War soldiers.

It is inscribed with the names of the deceased Somerville heroes and the quote, “Their warfare is over, they sleep well.” This obelisk is said to be the first stone erected and paid for by citizens as a public memorial to those who died in their country’s service during the Civil War. Somerville has had a tragic list of her sons and daughters who gave the supreme sacrifice for our liberty. It reads

War                           Lives Lost

Civil War                      98

World War I                 148

World War II               415

Korean War                  30

Vietnam War                33

Beirut, Lebanon           1

Somerville’s Marine Sargent Henry Hansen died ten days after helping raise the flags of Iwo Jima. A small park on Medford Street honors him and the 7,000 Marines who died fighting for freedom on that island. A prayer on the memorial reads:

“When you go home

Tell them for us and say

For your tomorrow

We gave our today”