Memorial Day is a day of honoring those who served in the U.S. military and were wounded or lost their lives.
This is why the phrase ''All Gave Some, Some Gave All'' is frequently used in relation to Memorial Day.
One of the first known public tributes to war casualties was in 431 B.C. in Athens Greece.
In The U.S. on June 3rd, 1861, the first Civil War grave of a soldier was decorated with flowers in Warrenton, Virginia, paying homage to their service.
In the late 1860s, various towns and cities in America began holding springtime tributes to the fallen soldiers of the Civil war.
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan called for a nationwide day of remembrance, Decoration Day, “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,” he proclaimed.
After World War 1, Decoration Day was officially renamed to Memorial Day.
It originally honored only those lost in the Civil War, but after World War I the commemoration included all American military personnel who died or were wounded in all wars.
1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May.
In 1971 Memorial Day was officially declared a federal holiday.
In 2000 Congress passed legislation stating that all Americans are encouraged to pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time.
Now, Memorial Day is observed in many ways:
Decorating military graves, flags are at half-mast until noon, The President places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There are concerts, parades, picnics, barbecues, and gatherings. #memorialday #memorialdayboliday #remembermemorialday
Now go out and pay tribute to all our military men and women who sacrificed to keep our country safe and free.
