“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” — General George S. Patton
As we gather with our families this Memorial Day, please take time to remember those who died in the defense of our great Nation and the liberty we all enjoy. Thank you to every brave man and women who gave their ultimate sacrifice for our country all for our country, as well as the brave men and women who continue to lay their lives on the line each and every day so that we may continue to experience the freedoms that America was built upon.
We will never forget…
Here is a bit of the history of Memorial Day:
Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating an early memorial day include Sharpsburg, Maryland, located near Antietam Battlefield; Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Confederate dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days.
According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed by formerly enslaved black people at the Washington Race Course (today the location of Hampton Park) in Charleston, South Carolina. The race course had been used as a temporary Confederate prison camp in 1865 as well as a mass grave for Confederate soldiers who died there. Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, formerly enslaved people exhumed the bodies from the mass grave and reinterred them properly with individual graves. They built a fence around the graveyard with an entry arch and declared it a Confederate graveyard. The work was completed in only ten days. On May 1, 1865, the Charleston newspaper reported that a crowd of up to ten thousand, mainly black residents, including 2800 children, proceeded to the location for included sermons, singing, and a picnic on the grounds, thereby creating the first Decoration Day.
Please consider taking a moment to call a veteran and thank them for their service in support of our freedom. If you have children what a great example you can set for them by establishing a tradition of calling veterans on Memorial Day.
As I normally do on Memorial Day, my family and I will be watching the Parade in Dacula. Come join us! The parade starts at 10 am in downtown Dacula. I hope you have a wonderfully time with your family and friends this weekend!
God Bless all of you and our great nation,
Josh Clark
State Representative, District 98
612-E Coverdell Legislative Office Building
18 Capitol Square
Atlanta, GA 30334
O. 404-656-0325
C. 404-723-8989
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” – Margaret Mead
Josh, his wife, Chelsey, and his four children reside in Buford, Georgia, where he runs two local small businesses and is actively involved in the community. He currently serves on the executive board for the Berea School of Ministry, coaches his son’s baseball team and currently serves on the 7th District Committee of the Republican Party of Ga. They attend the “The Family Church,” First Baptist of Sugar Hill.
