Memorial Day

 Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and honored the men and women who died while in service to their country. People would decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers with flags and flowers to remember and honor them. I remember my Grandma Henrickson telling me one year that she and the other ladies went to the cemetery to decorate the graves of the soldiers. I haven't found any direct ancestor who died while fighting for his country. I have found several ancestors who served their country. I'll highlight a few of them here.

David Bellingar, Mildred Strand's grandfather, served in the Civil War and fought for the Union. He served in the Michigan 19th Infantry, Company B. He enlisted August 11, 1862 and served until the end of the war. He mustered out in June 1865. He was wounded at Thompson's Station in Tennessee. He was shot in the left hip, knee, and hand. He was taken prisoner by the Confederacy, held for 5 days, and then exchanged in a prisoner exchange program. After 6 months recuperation he returned to fight and took part in the Siege of Atlanta and General Sherman's March to the Sea. When the War ended he received $30 per month as a Veteran's pension. He took part in every Memorial Day/Decoration program in Allegan, Michigan.

On my paternal side, my great granduncle Maximillan John Dobbratz served in World War I. He was the younger brother to my great grandmother Emilia Ashley. He served in the U.S. Army 7th Engineer Battalion. He enlisted November 11, 1917 and was discharged August 4, 1919. One of the activities of the 7th Engineers was to build a bridge across the Meuse River in France under German artillery fire.  Building this bridge was one of the keys to winning Europe. 

During World War II, my paternal grandmother Lois Thompson's younger brother, Orville Ashley served as a radio operator for the Army. On my maternal side, my grandfather Ray Henrickson's older brother, Sidney Henrickson, also enlisted in the US Army and served. 

Then there is also my maternal granduncle, Howard Strand. Howard is the older brother of my grandmother Viola Henrickson. Howard was a Colonel in the US Air Force and flew fighter jets in World War II and Korea. He had a very long and illustrious career. He'll get his own blog post one day. :)

I'm very proud of all my ancestors who have served in any capacity.