Memorial Day: A Time for Remembrance and to Say Thank You

What comes to mind when Memorial Day is brought up ? For most It is viewed as the beginning of summer .Time to have a BBQ and open the family pool, and kids know school is nearing an end. Do most people hang the American flag and say thank you to the men and women who served and died for our country . do we even know the depth of their sacrifice ?

Here is a brief history and facts about the holiday .

Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday honors U.S. men and women who have died in all combat services to their country. However, this was not always the case.Was first in honoring Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War 1, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action.

Following the end of the Civil War many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. According to Professor David Blight of Yale History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive. A parade with thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo New York.
Work citied in the book

Also, a big practice is :

visiting a cemetery to pay respects to loved ones( this is celebrated in all big and small cemeteries where flowers and flags are placed along the grave.)

In the bigger most popular cemeteries /memorials:like Arlington,Korean War Memorial,Navy Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial, there is a ceremony held.

Here are some famous quotes That Talk about The Holiday and meanings.

1."Solders lay at rest Dream of fighting fields no more.Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Morn of toil, nor night of waking"

2.As a day for strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, or hamlet churchyard in the land...It is the purpose of the commander-in-chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept from year to year while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of the departed.

Here is a list of how the common Memorial Day is Spent

Seeing some fireworks and having a picnic in the park

A huge family gathering with a BBQ

A weekend at the beach

Going to a local pool or opening your own

Have a parade with floats and solider's

Many people pay respects by hanging the American flag

visiting a cemetery to pay respects to loved ones

An all American ball game

And the list goes on

This year take a moment longer with your family and kids and say thank you . America would not be what it is today without them. Many of us have a grandparent or loved one who has died in honor/ serving

Lastly, remember to relax and have some fun !! be safe too !!