Memorial Day

1. What is Memorial day? A day on which those who died in active military service are remembered, traditionally observed on May 30 but now officially observed on the last Monday in May.
2. When is it?May 30 but now officially observed on the last Monday in May.
3. What are a few ways to show honor and respect on Memorial Day? Memorial Day is much more than the pool opening, the beginning of summer, or getting an extra day off. It is a day set aside to honor men and women who have lost their lives serving the United States of America. Originally called Decoration Day, it began May 30 of 1868 as a day for decorating the graves of soldiers who died in the Civil War. Joining the military can be very costly, with the highest possible price being life. Since 1775, more than 1.8 million have paid this ultimate price.
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5. Interesting stuff about Memorial Day 

   1. 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 1880's, the holiday wouldn’t legally become Memorial Day until 1967.

   2. 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.

   3. 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.

   4. James A. Garfield delivered a rather lengthy speech at the first Memorial Day ceremony

   Of course then it was still called Decoration Day, and at the time, Garfield was a Civil War General and Republican Congressman, not yet a President. On May 30, 1868, he addressed the several thousand people gathered at Arlington National Cemetery. “If silence is ever golden,” Garfield said, “it must be beside the graves of 15,000 men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem the music of which can never be sung.”

   5. Several states observe Confederate Memorial Day

   In addition to the national holiday, nine states officially set aside a day to honor those who died fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War: Texas,South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia. The days vary, but only Virginia observes Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of May, in accordance with the federal observance of Memorial Day.

   6. Waterloo, New York is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day

   According to the town’s website, in 1966 Congress unanimously passed a resolution to officially recognize Waterloo as the birthplace of the holiday. However, it remains a contentious debate, with other towns, like Boalsburg, Pa., claiming the title of “Birthplace of Memorial Day” as well.
6. What are a few things you will do on Memorial Day to show honor and respect? Show