"Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it." -Unknown
Many Americans don't necessarily know or understand the history of Memorial Day.
Often it's confused with Veterans Day, or Armed Forces Day, or it gets lost in holiday sales or viewed as the long weekend that kicks off summer.
But it's so much more than that.
It is a day to reflect.
A day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Originally it was referred to as 'Decoration Day' which was established three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, "as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers."
30 May was originally chosen because the thought was that flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
After WWI, Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars.
In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress and was moved to the last Monday in May.
In October of 2000 the National Moment of Remembrance Act was introduced and voted into public law in December of 2000. Congress specifically stated:
(1) it is essential to remember and renew the legacy of
Memorial Day, which was established in 1868 to pay tribute to
individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to
the United States and their families;
(2) greater strides must be made to demonstrate appreciation
for those loyal people of the United States whose values,
represented by their sacrifices, are critical to the future of
the United States;
(3) the Federal Government has a responsibility to raise
awareness of and respect for the national heritage, and to
encourage citizens to dedicate themselves to the values and
principles for which those heroes of the United States died;
(4) the relevance of Memorial Day must be made more apparent
to present and future generations of people of the United States
through local and national observances and ongoing activities;
(5) in House Concurrent Resolution 302, agreed to May 25,
2000, Congress called on the people of the United States, in a
symbolic act of unity, to observe a National Moment of
Remembrance to honor the men and women of the United States who
died in the pursuit of freedom and peace;
(6) in Presidential Proclamation No. 7315 of May 26, 2000
(65 Fed. Reg. 34907), the President proclaimed Memorial Day, May
29, 2000, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and designated
3:00 p.m. local time on that day as the time to join in prayer
and to observe the National Moment of Remembrance; and
(7) a National Moment of Remembrance and other commemorative
events are needed to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and
noble event that that day is intended to be.“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
US Military Fatalities In Major Wars 1775-Present
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009819/total-us-military-fatalities-in-american-wars-1775-present/
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