Bill Matz: Remembering the Reason for the Holiday

By Tim Kelly Across Ocean City and the region, community and private organizations and individuals marked the Memorial Day holiday on Monday. The unofficial opening of the summer season, Memorial Day actitivites and events -- barbecues, concerts and other celebrations – sometimes overshadow the reason there is a holiday in the first place. William M Matz, Jr., Major General of the U.S. Army and a summer resident of the Gardens Plaza in Ocean City, paused Monday in front of a Memorial Day shrine at the condo building at Park Place and the Boardwalk. A wreath honoring our deceased combat veterans is surrounded by American flags and the flags of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and POW-MIAs. “Memorial Day is a holiday, so we want people to have enjoyable activities,” said Matz, whose Army tenure stretched over 33 years. “However, it’s very important that our citizens understand the sacrifice made by our military and to honor the memory of those who lost their lives. These men and women are the reason we have the ability to do enjoyable things.” Matz, whose off-season home is in Great Falls, Virginia, was commissioned as an Army lieutenant in 1962 following his completion of the ROTC program at Gettysburg University. He completed two tours of duty in the Viet Nam war and was wounded in 1968 in fierce infantry fighting during the first day of the Tet Offensive. He was awarded a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest valor award behind the Medal of Honor, for his heroics in Viet Nam. In 1989, soldiers under his command successfully launched “Operation Just Cause” an invasion in Panama, resulting in the capture of dictator Manuel Noriega. He continued to serve until 1995, eventually reaching the rank of Major General (a “two star” general). Understandably, Matz feels strongly the general public should have a better understanding of Memorial Day. “People confuse it with Veterans Day, which is on November 14, which honors all military veterans,” Matz said. “Memorial Day was started in 1868 by a Civil War veteran for the purpose of remembering and honoring our combat dead. President Lyndon Johnson’s administration made it a federal holiday in 1966.” “Please,” Matz said, “enjoy fun activities on Memorial Day. It’s a holiday. At the same time, let’s remember the millions of combat dead resting in cemeteries all over the country and around the world. There are 17 military cemeteries overseas containing the remains of American military personnel.”