SGT Roland “Rollie” Edroy Moore

Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, honors men and women who died while serving in the United States military. The holiday was originally known as Decoration Day, and it originated in the years following the Civil War. By the late 1860s, many communities had begun springtime tributes to the fallen soldiers of the war by decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.

According to the History Channel, on May 5, 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month.

“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.

Memorial Day originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars.

For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30. But in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

The photograph featured this week is SGT Roland “Rollie” Edroy Moore’s senior picture from the Marshall High School 1964 yearbook. Rollie was born in Marshall on Sept. 26, 1946, to Victor and Ruth Moore. Rollie was married before enlisting in the U.S. Army. He served as a sergeant in Company A, 501 Infantry, and 101 ABN Division. His specialty was light weapon infantry.

Rollie was 21 years old when he was killed in Vietnam on April 9, 1968. He is buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Fergus Falls. Rollie is one of the 58,261 who tragically died while serving our country in Vietnam. Blessed be his memory.

The Lyon County Historical Society is in the planning phase for future exhibit on Vietnam. We are having an initial organizational meeting at the Lyon County Museum on Tuesday, June 9, at 1:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the conference room on the 2nd floor of the museum. If you are a Vietnam veteran, I invite you to attend the meeting to provide input to our planning process for this exhibit. We value your input on the stories that should be included in the exhibit and how to present these stories. If you are unable to attend the initial meeting on June 9 and would like to get involved, you may contact me at the museum at 507-537-6580. If you know someone who is a Vietnam veteran, please pass this invitation along.

The Lyon County Historical Society (LCHS) is a non-profit, member-supported organization. LCHS operates the Lyon County Museum at 301 W Lyon St in Marshall. The Lyon County Museum is open to visitors. To contact us, visit our website: www.lyoncomuseum.org, call: 507-537-6580, email: director@lyoncomuseum.org, or on our Facebook page.