This year, Decoration Day, better known as Memorial Day, falls on May 27, 2013. It is interesting to note that Memorial Day has been observed in various ways throughout history.
According to Laura Fitzpatrick’s report on Time.com, on this day any soldier from the Civil War to present day who served for this country and has fallen is honored. Many individuals go to cemeteries and place flowers on the graves of soldiers who have passed away. On the greater scale, many towns and cities host Memorial Day parades. For example, the borough of Hawthorne is one of the towns that will host its annual Memorial Day parade. In addition, the President of the United States of America presents a formal speech paying tribute to the brave and courageous soldiers. All of these actions are to demonstrate gratitude and respect to the soldiers who so believed in justice and freedom for America that they were willing to risk their own lives.
The first Memorial Day cannot be accurately traced back to its original roots because many towns across the United States have held private ceremonies years before the first recorded event, according to a report on History.com. According to Time.com, one of the recorded ceremonies was a march of African American Charleston residents, white missionaries, teachers, students and Union troops singing and holding roses encircling the Planters’ Race Course dated on May 1, 1865. As they congregated in the graveyard, a couple of African American preachers quoted scripture and the children’s choir performed the Star Spangle Banner.
May 30, 1862, marked the first recorded Memorial Day. General John A. Logan, a leader for Civil War veterans, asked the government to organize an event for honor and remembrance of fallen veterans of war. On this day, the article Memorial Day states, “On the first Decoration [Memorial] Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.” In 1968, Congress established the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which defines Memorial Day as a federal holiday and a three-day weekend for employers.
This Memorial Day, take a moment and reflect on the various military branches: Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines. It takes a brave and determined spirit to be front and center in the lines of combat. All the soldiers who are resting in peace had those qualities and served to keep American’s like you and me safe and free.