As we approach Memorial Day, stop and just take a moment to remind ourselves of the meaning of sacrifice and to put personal struggles and difficulties in perspective.

Across the nation, citizens are marking Memorial Day with ceremonies, speeches, flag planting at cemeteries, and parades in order to remember and honor our fallen comrades of the United States armed forces. 

Memorial Day is an occasion for remembering those who made the supreme sacrifice while serving their country in the various branches of the United States armed forces.

Memorial Day Observance

Memorial Day 2019 is on 27th May. Reprinted from memorialday2011.org Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day and officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

Although there are many stories as to the actual beginnings, with over 24 cities claiming to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead".

While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Thank you to all of our military personnel and veterans for the sacrifices they have made for our freedom.