Birth from the Civil War, Memorial Day was originally named Decoration Day. It was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic as a day for all to remember and honor those who died in active military service of the United States of America.
www.USmemorialday.org explains United States tradition on Memorial Day:
Our Flag is raised to the top of the staff and then lowered “half-staff” until noon. This is to remember the “more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country”. At noon, our flag is then raised to “full-staff” as “memory by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all for the remainder of the day”.
Other traditional observances:
- Wearing red poppies
- Visiting cemeteries
- Placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes
- Visiting memorials
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed in December 2000. It asks that at 3 p.m. local time all Americans “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps.”
We post this blog to help promote the importance of Memorial Day and to inform current Americans the holiday’s traditional observances. It has been seen that these traditions put into place long ago have either diminished over the years or forgotten altogether. We hope to influence unknowing Americans to take the time to remember those who chose or choose to serve the United States by maybe help fix or clean a veteran’s gravesite, or even try to learn the proper flag etiquette for the day.
Please join us this Memorial Day, Monday May 30, 2016, in thanking all the men and women who keep us safe and allow us to enjoy our Freedom! There are not enough words to express our gratitude!