A Procession Proposed for Memorial Day

John F. Deethardt Proposes Pueblo Memorial Procession

(Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain, Thursday, Oct. 13, 1966)

John F. Deethardt, Jr.

Speech Department
Southern Colorado State College

(NOTE: Of course this is out of date. The wars intervening between then and now have to be included. I already have changed a few things, but the essential 1966 concept has not changed.)

Pueblo doesn’t celebrate Memorial Day in a public way. If it ever does, it should not celebrate in the usual way with a “parade.” It should create a procession appropriate to the occasion, a procession that defines and becomes the occasion. I see a unique opportunity in this town to establish a precedent in Memorial Day celebrations. If I could legislate such an event, I would require the following:

A Memorial Procession

This march shall forever after be known as a “Memorial Procession” and nowhere known as a parade.

General

• Dignity In the occasion shall be observed in all costume and decorations.
• Solemnity shall be observed in all movement and music.
• It shall be held on the 30th day of May of each year, the national holiday of memorial service.
• This order for a memorial procession shall be promulgated in all the newspapers of the county on the occasion of the 8th day of May, known in history as “V-E Day”, to be regraded as a reminder of the law as herein contained, so that the citizens may begin preparations in keeping with this order.
• The place of this memorial procession shall be a line of march beginning at least one mile from the point of its destination, which is the county seat of government.
• Elected and political officials shall preside over the occasion and shall, except for one genuine symbol of their military service, not appear in miltiary dress, but shall effectively demonstrate the civilian nature of government and executive, legislative, and judicial control over the powers of policy and decision making.

Gold Star Mothers

• Participants shall be Gold Star mothers, veterans of all foreign wars, Army, Navy and Marine service units and musical organizations.
• An honored guest, a civilian, who shall be actively engaged in one of the federal branches of government, shall be the principal speaker at a ceremony at the destination of the line of march, and shall represent a national point of view in his oration and in his office.
• The occasion shall be marked by a national and international character. An honored guest, whose country in one of the foreign wars sent men of arms into battle with Americans, shall be invited to speak and represent an international point of view in his oration and in his office.
• All veterans shall be encouraged to march, and their dress shall include parts of their uniforms, insignia, rank or decorations gained in the service of the United States, but shall be in keeping with the themes of dignity and solemnity, and shall maintain a national character.

Blue Star Mothers, White Star Mothers

(I am adding here this note to include the mothers of all those men and women presently serving in the armed forces. “Blue Star Mothers” should march in a segment at this point. In addition, the “White Star Mothers” who have had sons or daughters serve in the past should also march in a segment of the procession.)

U.S. Flags and Bunting

• Each veteran shall provide, each for himself, and to carry, a United States Flag on a stick. These flags shall not be plastic, nor shall they be any but those signifying the United States Flag, representing all 50 states of the Union. It is hoped and desired that the flags carried shall be large ones.
• Each Gold Star mother shall ride in a car that shall display a large picture of her child or children lost while in uniform and in honorable discharge of duties in obligation to this land and the call of its civilian government. The only other occupant of the car shall be the driver who shall be a member of the mother’s family, and a veteran, if possible. The car may be draped in black and/or purple bunting and display medals of decorations, names of the mother and her child or children and the military record of the lost, including the date and occasion of the death, if it is so desired by the mother. The whole appearance shall be in keeping with the dignity, solemnity and national character of the memorial procession.

Music Provided

• Each musical unit shall play only “America the Beautiful,” “America,” or the Chopin Funeral March, or other music in the same vein from the literature. Both “America the Beautiful” and “America” shall be arranged so that unison trumpets shall play the first part of each selection and at the natural rise of the music shall swell, with a long drum roll, crescendo, to the final part played by full band. The members of the unit shall march at a slow pace in time to the dignified and solemn beat of the music. No batons shall twirl at any time in the procession. No girls shall appear in short costumes. The high schools and colleges shall provide the musical units. The lead musical unit shall, however, be a military service unit.
• There shall be at least four platoons of active service men representing each branch of military service. There shall be no motorized military units or display. The servicemen shall be grouped according to height with the tallest put together and coming first. Each platoon of the 12 in the procession shall march at a moderate, not fast, pace, and shall keep their ranks as close as is humanly possible, giving the appearance of a solid mass of men.

“The Star Spangled Banner”

• Ceremonies at the destination shall begin when the last cannon arrives. The flag shall be lowered to half staff. Taps shall be played. A rifle salute shall be fired. “The Star Spangled Banner” shall be played, with all singing. An honorary master of ceremonies shall then introduce the foreign guest speaker. The honorary master of ceremonies shall then introduce the honored guest speaker of the day. In conclusion all shall sing “America the Beautiful”.
• General behavior: No one in the procession shall talk or wave to anyone watching or look anywhere but straight ahead.
• Air Force jets shall dip low over the procession during the time of march.

Order of Procession

• A cannon, fired at regular intervals along the route of procession.
• Firing squad and color guard.
• Service musical unit.
• WWI placard draped in black showing WWI, and carried by a veteran.
• A caisson carrying a flag-draped casket, the caisson to be pulled by six matched horses.
• WWI Gold Star mothers in cars.
• WWI veterans riding in cars, decorated like the cars of the mothers, though draped with flags and bunting, rather than purple or black. WWI veterans may walk if they desire.
• WWI placard.
• Musical unit.
• Caisson pulled by military vehicle.
• WWII Gold Star mothers in cars, as described.
• WWII veterans, walking, and making no attempt to march in military step, giving the character of citizen soldiers. No units are to be formed.
• Korean action placard.
• Musical unit.
• Caisson pulled by military vehicle.
• Gold Star mothers.
• Korean veterans, walking as citizen-soldiers, but arms are to he locked and the races are to be consciously integrated.
• Viet Nam action placard.
• Musical unit.
• Caisson pulled by military vehicle.
• Gold Star mothers.
• Viet Nam veterans.
• Musical unit.
• The car with the guest speaker representing the foreign point of view.
• The car with the guest. speaker representing our national point of view.
• A cannon fired at regular intervals of the procession.

Law

• This order shall require all qualified people to take part in the procession, and the procession as herein described shall be by custom preserved in form and content.
• A period of official memorial solemnity shall last until July 4, when a parade of celebration of independence shall be held in a festive mood.
• The flags shall fly at half-staff 34 days, until this July parade of celebration.

(Last updated on August 16, 2004)