Memorial Day

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." ~ Joseph Campbell

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who died in our nation's service. It day was first celebrated on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery during the first national celebration. It was originally called "Decoration Day" because of the practice of decorating soldiers' graves with flags.

Over the years, it has been celebrated with parades and speeches, but due to the shift to recognizing the last weekend in May as Memorial Day, instead of May 30th, in order to provide a three-day weekend, many of us have lost sight of the reason for the holiday.

In order to re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, Congress issued a Resolution calling for a National Moment of Remembrance. Under the resulting Resolution, Americans are called to pause for a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Here are some not-so-random things we can do to honor our fallen veterans on Memorial Day:

1. Buy a poppy from a veteran's group to honor those who have fallen in battle and support veterans and the families left behind.

2. Fly your flag at half staff until noon, and then raise it to full height.

3. Pause for a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. local time.

To all our veterans, THANK YOU!


And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood