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Veterans Day in New England | |
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Veterans Day, November 11th, is a US national holiday commemorating the service of the men and women in the US military forces. The holiday extends to three days the early- or mid-month weekend nearest November 11th. Businesses and government offices are closed for the day, as are some shops and stores. All cities and towns remember the day with patriotic decorations, flags, parades and speeches. Often there are ceremonies and prayers in cemeteries where war veterans are buried. With luck, New England's fall foliage season lingers until mid-November, at least in a few places, and New Englanders feel especially lucky if Indian summer brings warm days and not-too-cold nights. Veterans Day is especially important in New England, as this region of the country has sent its young men and women off to war for longer than any other part of the USA. The graves of Revolutionary War Minutemen in Lexington and Concord MA are especially commemorated, as these were the first to risk their lives in their country's service. Veterans Day celebrates the service not just of soldiers, but also of those who brought mercy and comfort to the afflicted of war, such as Concord's Louisa May Alcott. Ms Alcott served as a nurses' aid in a hospital near Washington during the Civil War. She suffered from illness contracted during her service, never fully regained robust health, and her illness may have contributed to her early death. —by Tom Brosnahan
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The grave of Louisa May Alcott in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord MA. The American flag and medal commemorate her nursing services to Union soldiers during the Civil War (1861-1865).
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