On the last Monday, each May, we celebrate Memorial Day. For many, this means a day at the beach or by the pool with barbeques and fun. They use this holiday to celebrate the start of summer. In fact, in a survey of two thousand Americans in 2020, less than half knew the reason for the holiday. While a 2019 survey showed that most of those that did not know came from the younger generations. Let’s change that.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor the men and women that lost their lives while serving in the armed forces. Basically, we remember the lost lives of those in the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and now Space Force. These people bravely served and gave their lives to help sustain our freedom, as well as help others. The least we can do is take a little time to remember them.
Some ways to celebrate this holiday include visiting the graves of the dead military members, wearing a red poppy, and parades. At 3 pm local time, take a moment of silence or listen to taps for the official time given to honor the fallen. Even though this holiday is about remembering our fallen heroes, we can still have fun. Just take a little time to remember the fallen heroes.
History
Memorial day has been celebrated for over 150 years. It originally started the year after the end of the civil war. Many communities would take time during the spring to go honor the fallen from the war. States started to make the commemoration an official holiday. Eventually, they declared the official day as May 30th. While the Northern States agreed and adopted this date, the Southern States chose to do different days.
While the holiday originally only commemorated the fallen of the Civil War, it evolved to include all wars after World War I. The Federal Government made Memorial Day an official holiday. Then in 1971 to allow for a three-day weekend, they made the last Monday in May the official date of Memorial Day.
As the wife of a military member, I know how blessed I am that my spouse lives. I also realize that many families have lost loved ones that served in the military. Still, we should celebrate this day with remembrance and joy. These brave people gave their lives to protect our freedoms and others. I would bet they would prefer we celebrate with joy for what we have. During your celebrations, take a little time to remember those who will not be celebrating with their families anymore.
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