Why We Celebrate Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a day set aside to recognize, honor, and remember the brave soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our great country. Every year, hundreds (if not thousands) of men and women lose their lives in the line of duty. Memorial Day is supposed to be a day when the rest of us pay tribute to their great sacrifice and celebrate their legacy.
Historical Facts About Memorial Day
As we remember the true purpose of Memorial Day, Gibbons Law Firm has compiled a few interesting historical facts about the beginnings of this special holiday.
- The first Memorial Day observations in the United States were held in the South, recognizing Confederate soldiers who had lost their lives in the civil war.
- In 1873, New York became the first state to officially recognize Memorial Day as a legal holiday.
- Memorial Day was first called "Decoration Day," as it was a day for friends and family members to decorate the graves of their fallen loved ones.
- Many southern states still have a day set aside to honor those who died in the Civil War, known as Confederate Memorial Day.
- Memorial Day was originally observed on May 30th every year, regardless of the day of the week. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved Memorial Day to the last Monday of May. Some veteran organizations are concerned that having Memorial Day be a three-day weekend every year pulls focus away from the holiday's true focus, so they are lobbying to reinstate May 30th as the annual observation date.
- Traditionally, the American Flag is supposed to be hung at half-mast until noon on Memorial Day, at which time it is supposed to be raised to the top of the pole.
- 3:00 PM on Memorial Day is designated as a time of national local remembrance - all Americans are encouraged to pause their festivities for a moment at 3:00 PM (in their respective time zones) to remember the true purpose of Memorial Day.
Happy Memorial Day From Gibbons Law Firm
There is nothing wrong with celebrating Memorial Weekends as the unofficial kick-off to the summer season, but it's important to honor those who sacrificed everything so that we may continue to live in the land of the free. We owe these brave men and women an enormous debt of gratitude.
On behalf of the team at our general practice law firm in Mid-Missouri, we extended our deepest gratitude to our fallen soldiers. You are not forgotten.
No attorney-client relationship is created by the publication of this blog.
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Gibbons Law Firm
2820 Bagnell Dam Blvd, Suite B4
Lake Ozark, MO 65049
No attorney-client relationship is created by the publication of this blog.
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