In One Ear: Memorial Day morsels

A few Memorial Day history nuggets to ponder:

Old-timers will remember when Memorial Day was called Decoration Day, named for decorating the graves of the war dead with flowers. For many years both names were used but, in 1967, according to Mental Floss, federal law decreed that Memorial Day is the official name.

The tune “Taps” came about when Union Gen. Dan Butterfield (inset) took a dislike to the regular “lights out” call, according to History.com, so with the help of a bugler, took it upon himself to change the tune.

The first time “Taps” was used at a military funeral was near enemy lines during the Civil War. The tune replaced the standard funereal gun volleys, which would have certainly attracted the wrong kind of attention.

“In Flanders Fields,” a grim World War I poem by Lt. Col. John McCrea, was the inspiration for those cheerful-looking red Buddy Poppies that many wear on Memorial Day. The Veterans of Foreign Wars rely on the poppy sales to continue their work helping veterans.

The Civil War ended 159 years ago, but there is still a Confederate Memorial Day to specifically honor the Confederate dead. It is a state holiday in five states, and a local observance in one, according to Time and Date. Contentious as ever, the states’ celebrations are held on different dates, except for two, North Carolina and South Carolina, which always take place on May 10.