WASHINGTON – For many Americans, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, a long weekend filled with cookouts, travel and time with family. But the meaning of the day is far more solemn.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday dedicated to honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is distinct from Veterans Day, which recognizes all military veterans, both living and deceased.
Memorial Day is reserved for remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation.
A Tradition Born from the Civil War
The origins of Memorial Day can be traced to the aftermath of the American Civil War, which claimed roughly 620,000 lives and left communities across the country grieving for fallen soldiers.
In the late 1860s, towns and cities began holding springtime tributes, gathering to recite prayers and decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers.
One of the earliest recorded commemorations took place on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina, where freed Black residents gathered to properly bury and honor Union soldiers who had died at a Confederate prison camp.
The observance became more formally recognized in 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan, leader of a Northern Civil War veterans organization, called for a nationwide day of remembrance. Logan designated May 30 as Decoration Day, choosing a date when flowers would be in full bloom across the country and available to place on the graves of the fallen.
At the first official Decoration Day ceremony in 1868, future President James Garfield addressed a crowd of 5,000 people at Arlington National Cemetery. Those in attendance went on to decorate more than 20,000 graves of Union and Confederate soldiers.
Over time, the name Decoration Day gradually gave way to Memorial Day.
The holiday initially honored only those who died in the Civil War. Following World War I, its purpose expanded to recognize American military personnel who lost their lives in all of the nation’s conflicts.
In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson officially declared Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day, recognizing the community for its early observances honoring fallen soldiers.
Two years later, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, moving Memorial Day to the last Monday in May and creating the three-day weekend many Americans now associate with the holiday. The law took effect in 1971, when Memorial Day became an official federal holiday.
Remembering the Cost of Freedom
Memorial Day remains one of the nation’s most important observances because it recognizes the men and women who gave their lives to protect America’s freedom and democratic ideals.
The day also acknowledges the lifelong loss carried by Gold Star parents, spouses and children whose loved ones never returned home from military service.
For the country, Memorial Day serves as a reminder that the freedoms Americans enjoy came at an extraordinary human cost. It connects the nation’s present-day privileges to the sacrifices of those who died in service to it.
The holiday also continues a tradition that began after a deeply divided nation emerged from the Civil War. Memorial Day offers Americans a shared, nonpartisan moment of national gratitude and grief.
Honoring the Fallen
Across the country, Americans observe Memorial Day through longstanding traditions intended to keep the memory of fallen service members alive.
At 3 p.m. local time, Americans are encouraged to pause for the National Moment of Remembrance, observing one minute of silence in honor of those who died while serving the nation.
The American flag is flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon before being raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.
Many Americans also wear red poppies, a symbol of military remembrance inspired by the World War I poem In Flanders Fields.
At national cemeteries, including Arlington National Cemetery, volunteers and families place small American flags and flowers at individual graves, continuing the tradition that helped establish Memorial Day more than a century ago.
Memorial Day may come at the beginning of summer, but its purpose is not celebration alone. It is a day to stop, remember and honor the Americans who gave everything in service to their country.
I’m Guessing Graham Platner does not participate in Memorial Day.