This episode is all about Memorial Day. What it is, and maybe more importantly what it isn’t.
- History of Memorial Day
- Modern day celebrations
- Why we celebrate Memorial Day
- Who isn’t being celebrated on Memorial Day
- …and more
Transcript
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This coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend. The unofficial start of the summer. It’s when many Americans typically get together for a barbeque, grill some hamburgers and hot dogs, drink beer, head to the beach, or attend a parade. Although this year many of those things may be put on hold due to lockdowns that are happening throughout the country. Typically though, we do these things to celebrate the start of the summer, but we very rarely take a minute to think about what the holiday weekend is really all about.
In this episode I’m talking about Memorial Day. What it is, what it isn’t, why we celebrate this day each year, and why this day has particular importance to me.
Originally, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day. It began in the years following the Civil War but didn’t become an official federal holiday until 1971. In the late 1860’s Americans in towns across the country started holding tributes to all of the fallen soldiers from the Civil War. They would visit cemeteries, decorate the graves with flowers, and pray.
In 1868, General John Logan, who was the leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, said that there should be a nationwide day of remembrance on May 30th. The purpose of that day was to decorate the graves of the soldiers who died in the Civil War, which at that time nearly every city and village across the country had some of those soldiers buried in their cemeteries. This is where the name Decoration Day came from. By 1890 each state in the North had declared Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states also honored their war dead, but they did it on separate days until sometime after World War 1. Although some southern states still celebrate Confederate Memorial Day in late April and early May.
Decoration Day was designed to only honor those who died in the Civil War. As World War 1 started, Decoration Day gradually started to be known as Memorial Day. The holiday evolved to honor all American military personnel who died in all of our country’s wars. Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30th, but eventually Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which allowed for federal employees to get a 3 day weekend. Memorial Day would then be celebrated on the last Monday in May.
As I mentioned earlier, Memorial Day is celebrated with parades, parties, barbeques, and long weekend getaways. Americans also visit cemeteries and war memorials to honor and remember those who fought and died for their country.
That last part. Those who fought
and died for their country is particularly important. Memorial Day is to honor those who died for their country. There are a few military holidays throughout the year, which honor different groups of people connected to the military, and I don’t know if it’s patriotism or confusion, or whatever but people have a tendency to thank veterans on all of these military holidays. In particular I’m talking about two holidays. Veteran’s Day, and Memorial Day.
Veteran’s Day is celebrated on November 11th each year. This is a day to thank military veterans for their service.
Memorial Day as I mentioned earlier is celebrated on the last Monday in May. This is the day to remember those who died serving their country.
And as a veteran, I am often times thanked for my service. A lot of veterans are uncomfortable with that sort of thanks. It sometimes feels forced, as if someone feels like they
have to say
something but just don’t know what to say. But it’s still appreciated. I mean look back 50 plus years ago when the Vietnam veterans were ret...
