Memorial Day, Never Forget The Sacrifices
Almost everyone of us know someone who has lost their life so that we can enjoy our freedom. Plus there are many others around the world who also have the opportunity to live a better life than what they may have without our servicemen and servicewomen putting their lives on the line. To all of our lost military personnel, thanks. To those in harms way currently, thanks for what you are doing.
A few facts about Memorial Day you may not know:
It was originally called Decoration Day
To honor the deceased, soldiers would decorate graves of their fallen comrades with flowers, flags and wreaths. Hence Decoration Day. Although Memorial Day became its official title in the 1880s, the holiday wouldn’t legally become Memorial Day until 1967.
It wasn’t always celebrated the last Monday of May
After the Civil War, General John A. Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, called for a holiday commemorating fallen soldiers to be observed every May 30. But due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which took effect in 1971, Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday of May to ensure long weekends. Some groups, like the veterans’ organization American Legion, have been working to restore the original date to set the day apart and pay proper tribute to the servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives defending the nation.
It’s legally required to observe a National Moment of Remembrance
In December 2000, Congress passed a law requiring Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day to remember and honor the fallen. But this doesn’t appear to be common knowledge, or if it is, by 3 p.m. most people seem to be too deep into a hot dog-induced food coma to officially observe the moment.
I had no idea about the 3:00 PM requirement.
http://time.com/110697/memorial-day-facts/
