Holiday Honors Service To Country

Memorial Day is a day on which those who died in active military service are remembered. Memorial Day will be celebrated on the thirtieth of May this year, the last Monday of the month. This day is considered a federal holiday in the United States.

Memorial Day used to be recognized as “Decoration Day,” which was first used in 1882 and originated after the American Civil War to show respect for Union and Confederate soldiers who died in service. The official name was declared in 1967, naming this day Memorial Day.

On 28 June 1968, Congress passed the “Uniform Monday Holiday Act”, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. This change moved Memorial Day from its traditional date, 30 May, to the last Monday in May. The law took effect in 1971. Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who died while in the military service.

Some people decide to visit cemeteries and memorials, mostly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries for this day. Celebrations honoring Civil War heroes started the year after the war ended.

Something people can do on Memorial Day is to visit the local veterans’ cemetery. Some graves are well-maintained by family members, but when there are no living relatives, that chore falls on the shoulders of local veteran groups. People can always help and donate flowers.

For fun, people attend a Memorial Day parade or memorial service. Many veterans groups plan these events for the holiday, and they never say no to more participants.

Sometimes showing your thanks can be as simple as flying an American flag at your house. The flag should remain at half-staff until noon, as per tradition. The national moment of remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at when the clock strikes 3:00 p.m. for a moment of silence to remember and honor those who died in service to the nation.