What is Memorial Day?

1860's

Decoration Day Parade, Texas, 1916
General Gerard St. George Walker grave, 1920
Sheet music in celebration

Cérémonie du "Memorial Day" au Cimetière Américain de Suresnes, le 30 Mai 1920
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

5/22/09: I just received this from a wonderful friend Coby He is a fire fighter, one whom serves and protects the citizens with his life every day.... he may not be a soldier in a war, yet he is a protector.

"As we enter the 2009 Memorial Day holiday, please take a few moments to reflect on the purpose of the event, and if you feel so compelled, reflect on the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. For being such a young country, our veterans have paid an enormous price for us being able to say what we want to say, read what we want to read, and worship whatever higher spirit you choose to place your faith in. Whether or not a veteran yourself, we as firefighters share a lot in common with our war fighters, and as firemen we should never forget the attacks of 9-11-01 that brought us into the current conflicts with terrorists around the globe. 343 of us died that day, thousands of our military members have died since. The service member is our primary customer and the reason we have our jobs, and we are here to "Protect Those that Defend America" everyday, and I hope you all do so with immense pride.

The holiday is a great time for fun with family and friends and as you go forward into the extended weekend, please be safe. Wear your seatbelts if traveling, if you'll be drinking, stay where you are or have a designated driver to get you home safely. And if you have young children, take a little time to explain why we celebrate such a sad occasion in our Nation's history and teach them why this really is the greatest Nation on earth."

There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920).

While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873.

By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states.

The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, which is is not.

It was established for just those fallen in service to our country.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To 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."

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What might be needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."