Memorial Day celebrations date back two centuries to May 30th, 1868. During that first celebration, known as National Decoration Day, 5,000 participants helped decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Former Union General and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield made a speech proclaiming:
“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country, they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”
– James A. Garfield May 30, 1868, Arlington National Cemetery
Each state then began to establish their own Memorial Day or Decoration Day to honor US veterans who fought in any war.
Although the tradition began after the Civil War, the holiday evolved with the United States’ involvement in World War I. At that point, the day began to recognize all US soldiers who had died in service to the United States.
Not to be confused with Veteran’s Day which celebrates all those who served as a United States soldier. Or to be confused with Patriots Day celebrating victims, including servicemen (firefighters, police, etc.) that died during the September 11th terrorist attacks.
In 1971, the Uniform Memorial Day Act officially established the last Monday in May as Memorial Day. Today, the celebration at Arlington National Cemetery is currently celebrated by decorating the graves of all soldiers with a small flag.
In 2010, 3 PM, local time, was officially established by Congress as the National Moment of Remembrance for one minute. The moment was established after a Gallup poll revealed only 28% of people knew why Memorial Day is celebrated. Instead, many people associate it with the beginning of summer and the official kick off of backyard pool parties and barbecues.
While we’re not saying to pass up a barbecue for Memorial Day, this year at 3 PM take a moment to remember those soldiers who died for our freedom.