With the long weekend approaching, we want to look past the party planning and vacation destinations and take a moment to look back at where Memorial Day began. We at Great Plains Communications are extremely grateful for the sacrifices so many brave men and women make each year to fight for our country. We also value this holiday as a time set aside each year to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Here’s a little history about Memorial Day:
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and it began in the years following the Civil War. It was called Decoration Day because it was a day set aside to decorate fallen soldiers’ grave sites. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y. as the birthplace of Memorial Day as it was the first to have an annual, community-wide commemoration.
In 2000, the “National Moment of Remembrance Act” was passed to officially set a time for a national moment of silence. At 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, all Americans are encouraged to take a moment to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the U.S.
We invite you to join Great Plains Communications and the rest of the country in the moment of silence and as Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada said: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”