National Memorial Day is observed to remember the sacrifice of soldiers who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. From 1868 to 1970, Memorial Day was observed on May 30, however, since 1970, the last Monday of May is known as the Memorial Day in the United States.
Memorial Day is also a federal holiday in the US, and will fall on May 31 this year. People on this day visit graves of US soldiers who died serving the country, and honour them by decorating their graves.
History of Memorial Day
Memorial Day originated after the end of the civil war in the US that lasted four years from 1861 to 1865. The civil war was one of deadliest military conflicts in US history, and called for the establishment of the country’s first national cemetery.
On May 05, 1868, General John Logan, the then national commander of the Grand Army of the republic, officially proclaimed in his General Order No. 11 that May 30, 1968 is “designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in the defense of their country during the late rebellion.”
However, Memorial Day was originally called the Decoration Day as people used to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers and remember their sacrifice.
Significance of Memorial Day
The significance of Memorial Day is to make the US citizens continuously remember the sacrifice of all men and women who died for the nation. While Memorial Day was started to honour soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the civil war, the day has grown to remember every military personnel who died while serving in the US Armed Forces.
In 2000, the US government proclaimed the National Moment of Remembrance, and asked every American citizen to pause at 3 pm local time on Memorial Day to remember the fallen soldiers. The 3 pm time was chosen as most Americans are free from their work at this time.
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