Or should I say Memorial Day. In this case have a Memorial Day Weekend (whoo hoo - three days off).
Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, is an official U.S. holiday, celebrated on the last Monday in the month of May, to honor the men and women that have died in military service. “It originated during the American Civil War (1861–64) when citizens placed flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle.” Encyclopædia Britannica Article
In 1868, Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order Number 11 designating May 30 as a memorial day "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land." American Memory
I wonder when the tradition of having a barbecue on Memorial Day started, I can smell those hamburgers and hot dogs already. So, have a good Memorial Day / Decoration Day and please remember to honor those who have fallen for us.
The mixup continues ...
Somewhere along the line, the functions of Memorial Day and Veteran's Day got mixed up. Memorial Day is for visiting the graves of fallen soldiers and remembering our war dead, while Veteran's Day is for paying tribute to living survivors of those wars. Veteran's Day is for parades, not wreath layings at cemeteries. Somehow, Death has enlarged its realm here, and the focus of Veteran's Day seems to have shifted from the local parade in honor of hometown soldiers to Arlington National Cemetery.
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