Originally Memorial Day Was Called Decoration Day

Many people don’t know the true meaning of Memorial Day anymore. It seems a shame, because the day was set aside as a tribute to those who gave their lives protecting our country. When the day comes around every year on the last Monday of May, a lot of people think it is time for the picnic, swimming at the beach and a day at the park. All of this is good but many people in the military community are asking the American people to take a moment out of their day and remember those heroes that sacrificed their all.

It is difficult to prove the origins of this special day but in May of 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York as the most likely place this was started. The hard part is really knowing the origin because folks have been celebrating this day for generations.

We celebrate a day of honoring our fallen heroes each year the last Monday in the month of May and has been celebrated that way each year since congress declared it a National Federal Holiday in 1971. Many Congressmen and many military organizations are not happy celebrating it on the last Monday in may because it creates a three day weekend for all and many believe this takes away from the real meaning of the day.

While it is true that people are not visiting the cemeteries as much on this special day the grave sites are being ignored. Many people are trying to restore the true meaning of this special day by placing flowers and or flags where appropriate.

Government is trying to re-teach the public and to remind them of the special sacrifices these Americans made. A “National Moment of Remembrance” bill was passed in 2000 to remind everyone at 3PM local time that it would be nice to voluntary take a minute from what they are doing and remember what truly all about.

The “Moment of Remembrance” may be a step towards returning the true meaning to Memorial Day. A bill was introduced in 1999 to do that. So far, there has been no action on that bill. Hopefully the Congress, with help from the American people, will act on this important bill.

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