TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Memorial Day is the traditional start of all things summer. Boating at the lake, barbecues and summer vacations with "the greatest spectacle in racing," the Indianapolis 500, as the kick-off event.

It is also a time when communities gather to honor veterans who have passed away. Bakersfield National Cemetery will be the site of one of those events this Sunday. It will be worth the trip out to the site south of Highway 58 on Bear Mountain Boulevard.

I recently learned that Memorial Day is much more. General John Logan was the force behind bringing the idea of Decoration Day to the national consciousness in May 1868. It would be a day of "fitting services and testimonials of respect" for American soldiers, sailors and Marines who died in the defense of their country.

Memorial Day, as it is now called, is more than a time of simple remembrance of those who have passed away or even more specifically the American war dead. It is the perpetual testimony of every generation of Americans that we have not forgotten "the cost of a free and undivided republic."

For generations before Logan people around the world memorialized their war dead. Recognizing valor and heroism on the battlefield is an ancient tradition. And those who are left behind always have much to commemorate and to mourn.

The paradox underlying the genesis of Memorial Day is that it came out of the blood and smoke of our most bitter internal conflict -- the American Civil War. Americans killed Americans on American battlefields.

The Civil War was a test of the nation's resolve to abolish slavery. It was also a test of our commitment to the concept of a republic united under the Constitution. Those ideals prevailed in one of the most crucial turning points in our nation's history.

Logan clearly understood the significance of the Union victory. It was not a matter of greater valor between the two foes. It was a victory for the most elemental ideals that had germinated a hundred years earlier and were given the opportunity to grow in a new social and governmental arrangement.

It is that concept of preserving the American Republic that sets apart this national day of remembering. The ideas and dreams embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the form of government established by the Constitution to invigorate those ideas and dreams were threatened with destruction by the Civil War.

In establishing a day of memorial Logan first emphasized the camaraderie of the warriors who fought for the republic. Then he called upon the living to demonstrate their respect for those who had died. But even more we should cherish the liberty and opportunity that is wrapped up in the concept of the "free and undivided republic" for which they gave their lives.

Logan's proclamation calls us all to tenderly cherish "the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes."

He called the deaths of Union soldiers a "reveille of freedom to a race in chains." And every one of them who fell on the battlefield was an ignominious and indelible mark left behind by "rebellious tyranny in arms."

Logan ended his proclamation by affirming his commitment to keeping the solemn trust of honoring the memories of the war dead and called on us to do the same.

But he did not stop at those who died in defense of a free and undivided republic. There are many who they left behind. The orphans and widows of our fallen warriors are "a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude." Memorial Day is an opportunity for America to reaffirm its commitment to aid those who survive our fallen servicemen and women.

We definitely know how to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend in Kern County. Some of us head east with quads, bikes and the fifth wheel. Some of us make the first of many summertime treks to Pismo Beach. Some of us stay right here at home and enjoy the last of the really nice weather until October.

Many of us will return to the solemn roots of the holiday this Sunday at our own National Cemetery. Let us celebrate the preservation of the American Ideal and personally acknowledge the great price paid on battlefields around the world.

Logan's vision was to honor our war dead for their sacrifice in specifically preserving the republic. There is no prescription for the observation, just that it be fitting the extraordinary price that was paid by our servicemen and women.

Will you be part of the testimony that we as a nation have not forgotten the cost of a free and undivided republic?

-- Ric Llewellyn is one of three community columnists whose work appears here every Saturday. These are the opinions of Llewellyn, not necessarily The Californian. You can email him at rllewellyn@bakersfield.com. Next week: Heather Ijames.