The Athenaeum

Memorial Day 2011

Are they dead that yet speak louder than we can speak, and a more universal language?  Are they dead that yet act?  Are they dead that yet move upon society and inspire the people with nobler motives and more heroic patriotism? 

~Henry Ward Beecher

I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day.  I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it.  We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did. 

~Benjamin Harrison

I recall my daughter & her friend, age 7 or 8, playing a game (something about counting) when we once visited Veterans Cemetery in West L.A. for Memorial Day.  Our little girl called out from a row of headstones in front of us, "Mom look, they're all standing at attention just like they used to, you know, before."

May all TA/SST readers enjoy a Memorial Day weekend spent with family & friends.

 

-Maureen Lang

Mississippi River Flood of 1927- Army Signal Corps Archival Film (1936)

1927 Flood from KnowLA-Know Louisiana on Vimeo.

More archival footage, photos, eye-witness accounts, etc. can be found at

PBS American Experience-Fatal Flood http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/index.html.

 

(Edited To Add:  As John Minnerath commented below, the Signal Corps film compilation is indeed grainy & jumpy- apparently the original footage was damaged during the video transfer/editing process. From http://www.archive.org: "The material comes from a 3/4" U-matic video viewing copy made available at the National Archives facility in College Park, MD. The condition of the source material is relatively good for its age. Unfortunately, the transfer to video was badly done with lots of flicker and crooked perspective. Additionally, there are many video artifacts as a result of the age and wear of the video tape. High quality preservation 35mm film exists.")

 

 

-Maureen Lang