TITANIC – Memorial Day Weekend

Visitors to Titanic Museum Attraction can experience Officer Ryan’s performance of Ragged Old Flag May 28th, 29th, and 30th

Flags. How they stir the deepest human regard for honor and nation as they symbolize the courage of those who fought to build, to protect and maintain.

Each Memorial Day weekend Titanic Museum Attraction offers museum guests the opportunity to rember the brave individuals –many of them making the ultimate price for the freedom we continue to enjoy today.

Our Officer Ryan reminds museum guests what Memorial Day means with his moving presentation of the poem Ragged Old Flag, written by Johnny Cash.

It is an opportunity to pause and remember. Officer Ryan takes us from the Battle of Fort Henry, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star-Spangled Banner, to the Alamo, Flanders Fields and WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

We also remember the military passengers aboard Titanic. When museum guests arrive at the Captain’s Bridge, they can view a display honoring the forty-four military passengers.

These include Major Archibald Butt, military aid under presidents Roosevelt and Taft, and WWI veteran Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen. First Class passenger Francis Millet served as private in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Even John Jacob Astor, the richest man aboard Titanic, is included. Father Francis Browne—Jesuit Priest-in-Training aboard Titanic—went on become highly decorated in WWI in his capacity as chaplain of the Irish Army.

Of course, Old Glory is front and center on Memorial Day. However, each day of the year museum guests see the flags displayed in our admissions area—flags of the more than forty countries represented by passengers and crew

Ragged Old Flag moves many of our guests to tears as officer Ryan leads them through the many battles, sacrifices, and the deep respect the poem’s narrator has for the flag.

Though Titanic was a British ship registered in Liverpool, the American flag proudly flew from the forward mast. The flag signaled passing ships that Titanic was bound for America. Titanic would have flown the British flag on her return voyage to England, had she not sunk.

`Another, smaller flag flew from the ship: the Blue Ensign –a flag of ships in public service or commanded by an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve. Titanic’s captain, Edward John Smith, was a Royal Naval Reserve officer.

Memorial Day weekend is an opportunity for parents to let their children experience how proud we are to be part of this great nation, America. Officer Ryan’s performance of Ragged Old Flag is a history lesson that stirs powerful emotions as it reminds us of the cost of freedom.

The poem, with its references to major struggles to bring our nation into existence can be an opportunity for parents to help their children appreciate the hard-won freedom we enjoy. The flags of other countries –representing passengers sailing to America aboard Titanic—can help children appreciate diversity and the reasons so many from so many countries were immigrating to America.

We are honored to welcome our veterans to Titanic Museum Attraction every day of the year and especially on Memorial Day weekend. We want to thank them for their service. We hope that our efforts to remind museum guests of the huge debt we owe to all who have sacrificed are appreciated.

America is a nation like no other, and our freedom was bought with many struggles, including intense debate, battles, and sacrifice. We must never forget the struggles of so many who fought and sacrificed so that—even after intense debate and war—our flag is still there.

On this Memorial Day Weekend, let us be proud as we remember those who fought and sacrificed that we might be America, Land of the Free.