12 Indiana Military Museums Worth Visiting This Memorial Day and Beyond
As we prepare to recognize Memorial Day, many of us will spend the holiday (hopefully a day off for you) with family and/or friends - I hope we all remember the reason for that special day, too. In the event that you plan to do some traveling over the holiday weekend (or any time really), I've put together a list of 12 military museums around Indiana that you might want to visit, if not this month, then sometime in the future.
The History of Memorial Day
Before you get to the list, let's have a brief history lesson - I bet you might even learn something new. Memorial Day has been around for over 150 years, going all the way back to May 30, 1868. The first ceremony was for soldiers who had died during the Civil War. It was originally called "Decoration Day" since the tradition was to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flags, flowers, and wreaths. In the years that followed, many cities and states recognized Memorial Day as a legal holiday. It was 103 years later, in 1971, when Congress made Memorial Day a national holiday, to be observed on the last Monday in May each year.
Memorial Day Isn't Really a 'Happy' Kind of Holiday
It has become a tradition to wish a 'Happy' holiday to folks - Happy Mother's Day, Happy Father's Day, Happy 4th of July, etc. Memorial Day, however, really isn't one of those kinds of days. Remember, the day is meant to honor the courage and sacrifice of soldiers who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, so we're really not celebrating anything. Just be mindful of what the day means to those who have lost loved ones who were in the service. Have a great time, enjoy the day, but most importantly, remember what it's all about.
Indiana Military Museums
I think you should keep this list handy, and then next time you're on a road trip around Indiana, you might be able to plan a visit to one of the following museums. We have a couple of great ones right here in Evansville, by the way, so you should probably start with those.