We had family in town recently and visited the Indiana War Memorial with them. It was built to honor Hoosier veterans of World War I. A main feature of the memorial is the Shrine Room, a symbolic, solemn space designed to commemorate the Allied nations of WWI and the “war to end all wars”. Another feature is the museum that traces Indiana’s military history from the Revolutionary War up until today. The exhibits share information and contain weapons, uniforms, medals, military equipment, and other artifacts from these conflicts.
You could easily spend many hours going through the museum. I enjoyed learning about how women served in the various wars and looking at their uniforms. I also liked the display that shared information about the design and building of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at the Circle in Indianapolis. It was originally built to honor Indiana’s Civil War veterans and now honors all Hoosier veterans from any war prior to World War I. Additionally, the display contains a scale model that was used to determined how to place lights on this monument to turn it into a giant Christmas tree.
While both sites commemorate Hoosier veterans, they would also be good places to visit on Memorial Day, when we remember those who have died while serving in the US military. You can find more information about these sites as well as other Indiana war memorials and a map showing the locations of all the memorials at indianawarmemorials.org.
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and began after the Civil War when people decorated the graves of the many fallen soldiers from that war with flowers and flags to pay tribute to them. According to history.com, one of the first observances of Decoration Day was organized by formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865 — less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered — to honor Union soldiers who had died in a makeshift Confederate prison there.
Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971 and we now remember and honor American military personnel who have died in all wars. Many people I know also clean and decorate the graves of family members around Memorial Day to remember and honor their loved ones.
A Memorial Day tradition I have come to love is the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic’s Salute! concert commemorating those who have served or died while serving in the US military. The free concert takes place this year on May 26 on the Bartholomew County Courthouse lawn and starts at 7 pm. It’s a great way to start the Memorial Day weekend.
We also tend to view Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer, and often take weekend trips, have barbecues, shop the sales, or work on projects. Amid all these fun activities, I encourage you to set aside some time this Memorial Day weekend to remember the reason for this holiday. Perhaps you could visit one of Indiana’s war memorials in Indianapolis or our local Memorial for Veterans on the courthouse lawn, attend the free Salute! concert, or just pause and give thanks for those who have died in the service of our country.
Susan Cox is one of The Republic’s community columnists, and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. She is an avid reader, an outdoor enthusiast, a mother, a grandmother, and an adjunct instructor of English at IUPUC. She can be reached at [email protected].
