Remember Them: The Meaning Behind Memorial Day

Photo Credit: Damian Rico

Did you know that each year on Memorial Day, a National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3:00 PM local time? This solemn moment is a time for Americans to pause and remember the men and women who fought and died serving our nation.

Memorial Day has deep roots in American history. In 1966, the federal government officially declared Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town held its first commemoration on May 5, 1866, by decorating the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags—a tradition that would come to define the holiday.

Two years later, on May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of the Northern Civil War veterans, declared May 30th as a nationwide day of remembrance. Originally called Decoration Day, it was a time to honor those who died in the Civil War by adorning their graves across the country.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, officially moving Memorial Day to the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. This change took effect in 1971, establishing Memorial Day as a federal holiday.

Today, Memorial Day honors all American military personnel who gave their lives in service. Communities across the country hold parades, decorate veterans' gravesites, and wear red poppies in remembrance of a tradition inspired by the World War I poem In Flanders Fields.

For me, Memorial Day is personal. I think of my grandfather, who landed in Nagasaki just after the atomic bomb was dropped. Some of the men he arrived with never made it home. I remember the stories my cousin told about serving in the Air Force during the Gulf War, and the friends he lost. I reflect on my friend, a Seabee in Afghanistan, who felt bombs shake the earth around him. He wears a tattoo bearing the names of four friends who were killed in action.

Memorial Day is not about barbecues, parties, or a day off work. It’s a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who wore the uniform. They fought for our freedom, our peace, and the ideals written in our Constitution. Some paid the ultimate price by giving their lives.

Remember them this Memorial Day.This is their day.

Kristi Nance-Hmurovich MSW, LCSW, ACHP-SW is the Counseling Coordinator for Hospice of the Calumet Area. The opinions are the writer's.