SALEM, Ore. — As Memorial Day approaches, Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels is urging Oregonians to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by service members who died defending the nation.
In a Memorial Day message released this week, Daniels described the holiday as “among the most solemn days on our national calendar,” emphasizing that for veterans and military families, the observance carries deep personal meaning.
“It is not simply the beginning of summer or a long weekend,” Daniels said. “It is a national day earmarked for remembrance and a day for us — as a community, as Oregonians, and as Americans — to pause together and reflect on the extraordinary cost of the freedoms we enjoy every day.”
Daniels noted that Memorial Day traces its roots to the aftermath of the Civil War, when grieving families gathered at cemeteries to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, ribbons, and flags. Those early acts of remembrance became known as Decoration Day, eventually evolving into the modern Memorial Day holiday observed across the country.
The message also highlighted the sacrifices of service members who remain missing in action. According to Daniels, more than 81,000 Americans are still listed as missing from conflicts dating back to World War II.
“Their absence reminds us that remembrance is not passive,” Daniels said. “It requires acts.”
Daniels pointed to Oregon’s continued efforts to honor veterans and service members, including state laws passed in 2015 and 2017 requiring the POW/MIA flag to be displayed alongside the U.S. and Oregon flags at public buildings and schools statewide.
“The POW/MIA flag serves as a reminder that our nation and our state will never forget those who have died in service to this nation and those who remain missing,” Daniels said.
The director also recognized the more than 260,000 veterans living in Oregon, many of whom continue to carry the visible and invisible impacts of military service, while families across the state continue grieving loved ones lost in combat.
Daniels called Memorial Day a “civic responsibility” and encouraged communities to honor fallen service members not only through ceremonies, but also through compassion and support for veterans and military families.
“As communities across Oregon gather this Memorial Day, I hope each of us takes a quiet moment to reflect on those who never returned home and on the families who continue carrying that loss forward,” Daniels said.
Daniels is a U.S. Army veteran and currently serves as director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
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