For some people in America, Memorial Day means a long weekend filled with barbecues, swimming and a day off from work. We look forward to spending a relaxing weekend with our friends and family, and it seems to kick off summer time. However, we are so focused on making sure we have a fun-filled weekend that we seem to lose sight of what Memorial Day really stands for.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States that is observed every year on the last Monday of May. It is for remembering the people who died while serving in our country's armed forces.
According to History, Memorial Day was initially known as Decoration Day when it was created right after the Civil War. In 1868, a leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, General John A. Logan, wanted to create a nationwide day of remembrance.
"The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land," said Logan.
After World War I, the United States decided that this day should honor military personnel who died in all wars instead of just honoring those who died during the Civil War.
In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May and declared it a federal holiday.
According to Memorial Day, in the traditional observance of Memorial Day, the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised 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.
There is now a voluntary National Moment of Remembrance every Memorial Day. It is at 3 p.m. local time. Not many people know about this, but everyone should take part in pausing for a moment of silence to remember and reflect those who sacrificed so much to protect freedom for all.
It is perfectly ok to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with barbecues and swimming, but it is very important that we realize what this day is really about. It's easy to sit back and enjoy our freedom that we have in America, but we have to remember that our freedom isn't free. Men and women around the world sacrifice so much, such as time with their families or even their lives, so that we can have our freedom.
This Memorial Day, make sure that you take the time to remember the millions of men and women who gave their lives in order to protect our freedom. It is not a day that should be taken lightly. These incredible heroes who sacrificed so much need to be honored and remembered.They deserve our respect not just on this day, but every day.
