{"id":26558,"date":"2018-05-24T15:41:56","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T22:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/northstarmoving.com\/blog\/?p=26558"},"modified":"2021-05-14T11:00:33","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T18:00:33","slug":"a-moving-memorial-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northstarmoving.com\/blog\/2018\/a-moving-memorial-day\/","title":{"rendered":"A Moving Memorial Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the summer season, plus all the fun and good times that come along with it. But Memorial Day is so much more. It is steeped in tradition and history. It honors those who served in our Armed Forces \u2013 and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

From Decoration Day to Memorial Day<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Decoration
Decoration Day 1870, St Paul, MN via Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the Civil War ended in the spring of 1865, the first national cemeteries were established. By the late 1860s, decorating fallen soldiers\u2019 graves with flags and flowers had become an annual springtime tradition. On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Union Civil War veterans, called for an official nationwide day of remembrance.<\/span>\u00a0Since it is not the anniversary of any particular battle, May 30th became \u201cDecoration Day.”<\/span><\/p>\n

New York was first to designate Decoration Day as an official state holiday in 1873. By 1890, most states had followed suit. After World War I, May 30<\/span>th<\/span> was recognized as a national Memorial holiday, honoring American military personnel who died in all wars.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1966, the federal government declared that Waterloo, New York, was the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Since May 1866, each year the town\u2019s residents have closed businesses and decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.<\/span><\/p>\n

Federal employees received three-day weekends after Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968. Subsequently, the change went into effect in 1971, establishing Memorial Day as the last Monday in May and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 as a federal holiday. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Special Ways to Observe Memorial Day<\/b><\/h3>\n

Demonstrate your patriotism \u2013 and the gratefulness you feel for those who died defending our country \u2013 by participating in any of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n