Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the American armed forces. Originally known as Decoration Day, it was a day to honor those who died in the Civil War by decorating their graves. The original proclamation was issued on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former military personnel: “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.” During the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield spoke at Arlington National Cemetery, after which about 5,000 people decorated the graves of 20,000 soldiers from the Union and Confederate armies who were buried in the cemetery. Today, Memorial Day is observed at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony whereby a small American flag is placed on each grave. Although the first Decoration Day was held in May 1868, it wouldn't be until 1971 that Memorial Day became an official federal holiday that now falls on the last Monday in May. The 1868 observance was inspired by local observances in several towns throughout America that lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Mississippi; Macon, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; and Carbondale, Illinois. However, in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, to be the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo, which first observed the day on May 5, 1866, was chosen because it had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event; businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags. It wasn't until after World War I that observances began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars and not just the Civil War. The difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, November 11 each year, is that Memorial Day honors the dead and Veterans Day recognizes the living while also honoring the dead. Several Southern states have a special day for honoring the Confederate dead of the Civil War. Seems that even in honoring our nation's military dead, we can't agree on how or when to honor and recognize them. Here in San Diego, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer, the start of tourist season, and the weekend when a preponderance of Arizona license plates start showing up on our cool beaches in order to escape the Arizona heat. My father is buried in the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California. ♫♪♫♫♪♫ If you're looking for a great San Diego Realtor, well, I'm available 24/7, so feel free to contact me by phone or email. Jim Frimmer, Realtor
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Jim, nice article on the history of Memorial Day. I hope you get to enjoy the weekend - maybe put some flowers on your father's grave.
Jim, thanks for posting all this information and thanks to your dad for his service. Hope you and Russel have a wonderful weekend!
Jim, it is refreshing to see someone who actually understands what Memorial Day is all about. I heared on the news yesterday that 50% of the people now think all it is is start of summer. As an Airborne Ranger Infantry person I find it sad how short our memories are. Thank you for a great post. Have a great weekend.
Jim, hope your Memorial Day weekend is going to be great. We'll be attending the ceremony at our local VFW just around the corner.
Happy Memorial day to you and Russel, Jim. Thank you for the history of the day. Didn't know it was only called Memorial Day since '71. Did not know it was Decoration Day before that, maybe that is why we see so many private homes displaying the flag and banners.
Jim - fantastic blog. On behalf of all veterans we thank you for taking the time to write this. I never knew the detailed history behind this holiday. Not to be negative but I wonder how many people actually take the time to pause and reflect thanks for the biggest sacrifice of our war dead. I think a lot of people only think about a 3 day weekend and don't even do something as simple as flying a flag in front of their house as a sign of thanks.
Jim...I really enjoyed your history lesson on Memorial Day. Thank you for posting it.
Hey Jim, I didn't know that the holiday started in 1971. Thanks for the history lesson.
Hey, Everyone - Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I'm trying to catch up on all my blog posts since I've been neglecting the, for good cause, though, since I've been busy.
Since this post is quite old, I won't respond to each and every comment. Rather, I'll read through all the comments and respond to any that have questions or otherwise need a response.
I'll also be by your blog soon to return the favor by reading your posts and leaving comments, too. Do unto others as they have already done unto you. lol
Again, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Make it a great day, a great week, a great month, and finish out 2010 on a natural high!
Jim,
It is always great to point out the history of memorial day. Many tend to forget. In our hamlet of Armonk we still have a parade and remembrance on the 30th. The parade ends at the VFW hall.
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