Memorial Day was declared a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1971, and its roots date back to the Civil War era, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Unlike Veterans Day, Memorial Day honors all military members who died while serving in U.S. forces. No, Memorial Day isn’t about a long weekend road trip, backyard barbecue or sales. The real meaning of the national holiday is much more somber. Originally called Decoration Day, The Monday holiday honors all soldiers who died during their service to the nation.
The origins of the holiday can be traced back to local observances for soldiers with neglected gravesites during the Civil War. The first observance of what would become Memorial Day, some historians think, took place in Charleston, S.C., at the site of a horse racing track that Confederates had turned into a prison holding Union prisoners. According to Yale historian David Blight, Blacks in the city organized a burial of deceased Union prisoners and built a fence around the site. Then on May 1, 1865, they held an event there including a parade – Blacks who fought in the Civil War participated – spiritual readings and songs, and picnicking. A commemorative marker was erected there in 2010.
On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, the tradition of placing flowers on veterans’ graves was continued by the establishment of Decoration Day by an organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic. General Ulysses S. Grant presided over the first large observance, a crowd of about 5,000 people, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on May 30, 1873. The orphaned children of soldiers and sailors killed during the war placed flowers and small American flags atop both Union and Confederate graves throughout the entire cemetery. This tradition continues to thrive in cemeteries of all sizes across the country. Until World War I, Civil War soldiers were solely honored on this holiday. Now, all Americans who’ve served are observed.
I searched Google and found some wonderful photographs of military men who served their country (not just US soldiers), and also smoked pipes while doing so. I hope you enjoy the photos and God bless them all!