Memorial Day in Lansingburgh

As I researched on Memorial Day, I learned  many fascinating facts. For example, Memorial Day commemoration originated from another celebration called Decoration Day. Officially, Memorial Day honors the people who died in the civil war which was the event that caused the largest number of death in the history of the U.S..  Decoration Day honors the people who died serving the U.S. in any other conflict besides the Civil War such as World War II.  Learning about the differences between these two commemorations gave me a better understanding of the American Culture.

Memorial Day is a Holiday and though almost everybody go outside to celebrate it. Many of them celebrate it by having a good time with family or friends. I was able to see this in the parade of Lansing burgh where many people gathered to celebrate. For instance, Emily is a Lansing burgh resident who was watching the parade with her husband and her two beautiful daughters. Emily grew up in Lansing burgh and some of her friends have been in the military. She told us that luckily none of the people that she knows have died serving the nation. Lucas is a resident of Greenbush who comes to the Lansing burgh parade occasionally. Today he came because he wanted to spend some quality time with his girlfriend and friends. He claimed that the marching bands were his favorite part of the parade and that he wish he had the time to come every year to see them.

There is no doubt that this day can bring many sad memories to many people. As I walked my way through the sidewalk, I saw many tearing silently. These people might still feel the pain caused by the loss of their loved ones. To many others who served in the war, this day can bring memories of their past that they would not want to remember. Danes Perpetua, for instance, served in Navy for five years and fought in the Vietnam War. He was in the parade of Lansing burgh with her wife.  Even though he did not serve in the civil war, he still served for the United States in the Vietnam War where many of his friends died.  As I conversed with him, his face expression was not very happy when asked about the war. This suggests that his memories of fighting in the war are not very enjoyable.The Memorial Day parade of Lansing Burgh was a great success where many people enjoyed. There was a whole diversity of people who came from other towns such as Greenbush, Schenectady, Watervliet, Catskills and others. Many people as I did enjoyed the marching bands the most.