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Memorial Day is
observed on the last
Monday of May. It is a
day to honor those who
died defending their
nation.
Memorial Day was
originally called
Decoration Day and
originated in the
aftermath of the 1861–65
Civil War, during which
more American soldiers
died than in any other
war before or since.
After the Civil War,
grieving citizens around
the nation began holding
memorial ceremonies,
decorating the graves of
Civil War soldiers with
flags and tributes.
Waterloo, New York, is
officially considered
the "birthplace" of
Memorial Day because it
was the first to make
the practice of honoring
the Civil War dead a
citywide event when it
held its first
Decoration Day in 1866.
General John A.
Logan,
commander-in-chief of
the veterans' group the
Grand Army of the
Republic, made a formal
proclamation designating
May 30, 1868, as a day
of remembrance of the
nation's war dead. The
holiday was originally
intended to honor the
Civil War dead. After
World War I, Decoration
Day was expanded to
honor those killed in
all of the nation's
wars, and after World
War II it became known
as Memorial Day.
In 1971, Congress
designated the last
Monday in May as the
national Memorial Day
holiday. It has become a
day on which the dead of
all wars, and the dead
generally, are
remembered in special
programs held in
cemeteries, churches,
and other public meeting
places.
The traditional
observance of Memorial
day has diminished over
the years. On Dec. 28,
2000, the White House
Commission on the
National Moment of
Remembrance was
established to promote
the spirit of unity and
remembrance through a
minute-long observance.
Congress wanted to bring
the country together in
an act of national
unity, ensure that the
nation remembers the
sacrifices of America's
fallen, and to put
'memorial' back into
Memorial Day.
The commission urges
Americans worldwide to
observe the National
Moment of Remembrance on
Memorial Day at 3:00
p.m. local time
(duration: one minute).
The 3:00 p.m. local time
was chosen because it is
the time when many
Americans are enjoying
their freedoms on the
national holiday.
Americans may observe a
Moment of Remembrance by
pausing for a moment of
silence or listening to
"Taps." The commission also
urges Americans to
perform its Memorial Day
anthem, "On
This Day," which was
composed by
award-winning composer
Charles Strouse.
The Moment does not
replace the traditional
Memorial Day
observances. It is
intended to a be a
unifying act of
remembrance for
Americans of all ages.
By participating in the
Moment Americans can
help reclaim Memorial
Day for the noble and
sacred reason for which
it was intended—to honor
those who died in
service to our Nation.
Many Americans confuse
Memorial Day and
Veterans Day.
Memorial Day is a day
for remembering and
honoring military
personnel who died in
the service of their
country, particularly
those who died in battle
or as a result of wounds
sustained in battle.
While those who died are
also remembered on
Veterans Day,
Veterans Day is the
day set aside to thank
and honor ALL those who
served honorably in the
military - in wartime or
peacetime.
Popular tourist
attractions on Memorial
Day include:
Other popular ways to
celebrate Memorial Day
include visiting your
local veteran's cemetery
to lay flowers on a
grave, or to visit a
veterans hospital or VA
association and talk to
the veterans there. The
tradition of wearing
poppies in honor of
America's war dead takes
its origin from the poem
"In Flanders Fields,"
written in 1915 by John
McCrae.
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In Flanders Fields
written in 1915 by John
McCrae
In Flanders fields
the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Flanders, in north-west Belgium, was the scene of one
of the bloodiest battles of the World War I. One
of the few things said to have survived the bloodshed
was the poppy. John McCrea, a Canadian doctor
serving on the battlefield, wrote this poem after
treating the battle wounded and burying the dead. |
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Taps
Performance by
The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band
Origin of "Taps"
The
earliest official reference to the mandatory use of
"Taps" at military funeral ceremonies, is found in
The U.S. Army Infantry Drill Regulations for 1891,
although it was used unofficially prior to that time
under the name "To Extinguish Lights."
The history of "Taps" dates back to the British Army's
"Last Post," a similar bugle call which was sounded
over soldiers' graves beginning in 1885. The
music for "Taps" was composed by Gen. Daniel
Butterfield in July 1862 for his unit, the 3rd
Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Army Corps, Army of the
Potomac. Maj. O.W. Norton, a member of
Buttterfield's brigade, wrote in 1898:
One day, soon after the seven days' battles on the
Peninsular...Butterfield sent for me and showing me
some notes on a staff written in pencil on the back
of an envelope, asked me to sound them on my bugle.
I did this several times, playing the music as
written. He changed it somewhat, lengthening some
notes and shortening others, but retaining the
melody as he first gave it to me...he directed me to
sound that call for "Taps" thereafter, in place of
the regulation call. The music was beautiful on that
still summer night...
Source: The U.S.
Army Ceremonial Band
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