Memorial Day came and went a few days ago. The vast majority of folks know it better now as hot dogs, beer, mattress sales and not-going-to-work day. Its meaning isn’t nearly what it once was.
My mother and father called it Decoration Day. It was that until 1971 when it became an official US holiday. It first began in 1868 when groups of women visited cemeteries to “tend to the graves of the Civil War fallen” by cleaning headstones and planting flowers. This was done in both Union and Confederate communities. It was a much-needed start to reuniting the country.
My mother and father, Mary and Oscar Rexford knew much about war. Both served in World War II. One spent the war in Wichita. The other landed on the beaches of Normandy. Paradoxically, my father was stationed in Kansas while my mother landed on Utah Beach. He was in the Army Air Corps helping supply planes and pilots. She was in the Red Cross alongside the troops....
Mom drove a Clubmobile accompanying front-line soldiers through France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. She was shot at and bombed while witnessing the carnage the war easily provided. Mary’s wartime exploits were chronicled in the book Battlestars and Doughnuts published in 1989. The book about her adventures was written by Oscar. Their devotion to each other pretty much epitomized “the greatest generation.”
In a few days, the most profound occurrence of that era will celebrate its 80th anniversary. It was the D-Day landing – the beginning of the liberation of Europe. It remains the largest amphibious military operation in history. That day and after, battles between allied troops and the Nazis covered western France. To this day, collectors still uncover troves of military battle artifacts near Normandy. They are traded and sold on weekends in nearby areas.
In the ‘40s, patriotic fervor on both sides was robust. In the US and Germany, it was often visible on postage stamps. Posted on daily mail were images honoring troops fighting in Europe and the Pacific.
Most stamps issued by the US reflected the pride of soldiers and sailors. One showed a group taking a break from fighting while watching a film in a remote jungle. The stamp was actually one commemorating the 50th anniversary of motion pictures. Others featured marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima or a merchant marine vessel delivering supplies. Most all were non-violent reminders of the effort that went into winning the war.
Germany’s stamps were different. Many showed fierce battle scenes of soldiers throwing grenades, firing machine guns or tanks in villages. Theirs was a more intense type of propaganda.
Later, the US and other allied nations took numismatic note. In 1994, for the 50th anniversary of D-Day, the US Mint issued a commemorative silver dollar as part of a three-coin set. It featured a G.I. storming the beach at Normandy with the inscription, “D-Day June 6 1944 1991-1945 LIBERTY.” A 50-cent clad coin showed another G.I., landing on a beach in the Pacific. A third five-dollar gold piece showcased a soldier cheering with his rifle raised. The flip side of that coin included a large letter “V” for victory in Europe and the Pacific.
This year, the Mint is issuing a three-coin “Greatest Generation” set again with half-dollar, dollar and five-dollar pieces. The clad, silver, and gold coins include plentiful symbolic imaging. The silver dollar is profound with members of all armed forces symbolically holding the globe aloft. The reverse of the dollar has artistic wings incused with the words, “VICTORY IN THE AIR ON LAND AT SEA.”
The clad coin features the allegorical Lady Liberty as seen on the medal issued to all military who served in the war. On its reverse is an image of the promenade at the WWII memorial.
The five-dollar coin is arguably the most introspective. It also shows the wall at the memorial filled with stars while the obverse features a folded flag like those given to the family of the fallen. Below that are the words, “TO UNITE THE GENERATIONS OF TOMORROW.” That’s ambitious for a generation that now equates a day for heroes to hot dogs. We united after the Civil War, World War I and 80 years ago. Strange political bedfellows aside, maybe we can do it again. Maybe.
The “Greatest Generation” coins are being sold in sets or individually. For more information, collectors or veterans can check them out at: www.USMint.gov.
For more collecting information and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.