I would like to share a little on the history of Memorial Day.  It started during the American civil war.  Ladies in the southern states would decorate the head stones of the men killed in battle.  At the conclusion of the war the practice spread and several cities claim they were the first to recognize this practice.  Officially, Waterloo, New York is the birthplace of this tradition.  On May 5th 1868 General John Logan, then commander of the Great Army of the Republic, issued general order 11, officially proclaiming the decorating of graves, for those who fell in battle.  We originally referred to this as "Decoration Day".  It was commemorated on the 30th May 1868 and annually after that.  By 1890 all the northern states had officially recognized the date.

 Several southern states recognized alternative dates due to the animosity still harbored over the war.  What changed this was World War I, when Memorial Day came to recognize fallen soldiers of all wars.  Some southern states still recognize civil war casualties on different dates but Memorial Day is recognized by every state. 

The National Holiday Act of 1971, changed the date to the last Monday in May so we could have a three day weekend, every year.

 We frequently forget or ignore why we recognize a holiday.  Just thought it would be a good idea to chat about it.

 Please enjoy the link:

http://sagebrushpatriot.com/america.htm

Happy Memorial Day, 

Leonard