We visited Fort Snelling National Cemetery yesterday afternoon, the first time in many years and one of very few visits. My husband suggested it for today’s site and I thought it sounded like a good idea.
What I wasn’t prepared for was how moving the experience was…spending time in the midst of a sea of over 177,000 tombstones…all identical, all white, all aligned in perfect rows from every angle…a visual symbol of how vast is the number of people who have served our country. 
Fort Snelling cemetery was established in 1870 to serve as a burial ground for the soldiers who died while stationed at nearby Fort Snelling. Following World War I, the citizens of St. Paul organized a petition to designate a national cemetery in the area and in 1939 Fort Snelling National Cemetery was established. Today it occupies 436 acres next to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. (MAP)
The simple sign ‘DAD’ next to one of the tombstones is a vivid reminder that although the markers may all look alike, each one identifies a unique individual who played a significant role in someone’s life.
The observance of Memorial Day began as Decoration Day in 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Civil War soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. After World War I the remembrance was expanded to include all wars, and in 1968 the national holiday was moved from its traditional May 30th date to the fourth Monday of May to give us the three-day holiday weekend which we are enjoying now.
Although celebrated throughout the country, different communities have their own traditions. I grew up in a rural Norwegian Lutheran community in North Dakota. We always celebrated by decorating the graves of all deceased family members with flowers. It gave a sense of continuity and an understanding of our roots, visiting the graves of ancestors who lived generations before us.
For many years, our small congregation hosted a celebration which began in the cemetery with a veterans rifle guard salute and taps, followed by a ‘Memorial Day Dinner’ which featured homemade salads and hot dishes. But the real draw was homemade lefse, rommegrot and pies…people would come from miles away for this famous annual feast, sometimes waiting an hour or more for their turn at the bountiful table.
Click here for Twin Cities Memorial Day celebrations this weekend.
