![]() Laying flowers on the grave of a military member is an indispensable feeling that everyone should experience. There are somber moments during a visit to a cemetery to decorate the graves of loved ones you knew or those who were complete strangers. When Memorial Day comes around each year, a lot of us get to enjoy the day off while having a barbecue with friends and family and watching a parade. How to Support the Families of Our Fallen Soldiers The American Legion and other veteran organizations sell poppies on this day to raise funds for their efforts. National Poppy Day is the Friday before Memorial Day. The American Legion adopted the poppy as their national flower symbol. While countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia wear poppies and remember those lost in November, in the United States, we use poppies as a symbol of remembrance for Memorial Day. After he published the poem, the poppy became an international symbol for fallen soldiers. The poem talks of fallen soldiers who now lie in Flanders Field where poppies grow. John McCrae wrote the poem after walking through the crosses that marked the soldier’s graves. In 1915, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae published a poem titled “In Flanders Field” following the second battle of Ypres. The Significance of Poppies on Memorial Day ![]() While we honor our Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy members every day, May is the time to really let our servicemen and women know that we are grateful and appreciative of their sacrifices. May is also National Military Appreciation Month. Several veterans organizations, such as VFW’s or American Legions, have donation dinners, celebrations, or concerts. Just as with Decoration Day, you can lay flowers or American flags at the graves of fallen soldiers. They include military personnel, as well as veterans’ organizations, helping to educate, promote and honor our military and their sacrifices.Īnother way to honor fallen heroes is to visit cemeteries and memorials. Parades are a big part of Memorial Day, held all over the country. The weather also generally warms up by this time as well. Most schools are done or close to done with their sessions for the school year. For one, it occurs on the last Monday in May, right before the summer months. Memorial Day is often called the unofficial start to summer, for a number of reasons. Because it is a Federal holiday, all banks, stock trading, city, county, state, and federal buildings, schools, and even some private companies are all closed and non-operational. This established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May. In 1968, Congress created the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved a number of holidays to specific Mondays each year. They then adorned 20,000 Civil War graves at Arlington. ![]() ![]() On the first official Decoration Day, James Garfield gave a speech at Arlington National Cemetery to over 5,000 people. Although the idea of honoring fallen military members on a specific day has been around since shortly after the Civil War, Memorial Day became official Federal holiday in 1971.īefore that, it was known as Decoration Day, first officially held on May 30, 1868, as a day to adorn the graves of fallen soldiers who died during the Civil War. Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday in May, and honors all the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces. On this Memorial Day, Homes for Heroes would like to honor all of those that gave so much. ![]() They sacrificed their lives for the continuance of our nation alongside those who are still alive to tell us their stories of courage and bravery. Memorial Day is a day for us to honor those who fought and fell in battle while fighting for our country. ![]()
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