In his weekly address on Saturday, President Barack Obama praised “all the men and women who have given their lives in service to this country we love,” saying, “We are who we are today – a free and prosperous nation, the greatest in the world,” because of their sacrifice.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is for many modern Americans the first holiday of summer and is celebrated annually. It is an opportunity for families to gather together. But the main essence of the holiday weekend is to honor the more than one million men and women who have given their lives in the service of flag and country. People would take the time to attend local Memorial Day services and visit graves of fallen loved ones.
This year, Memorial Day is on Monday, May 27, 2013. Traditional observance also includes flags flying at half-staff until noon.
A day of remembrance
Memorial Day was first celebrated in May 30, 1868, established by the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic with a General Order. Its original name was Decoration Day, and its observance was very solemn being a day of remembrance for the fallen—men and women who have died in the service. On that historic first Decoration Day, flowers adorned the graves of soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery, both from the Union and the Confederacy. Eventually, after the First World War, Memorial Day observance was extended to include all the Americans who have lost their lives while in military service.
In 2000, the US Congress passed an act to create the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. Its mission is to encourage US citizens to commemorate the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives by observing Memorial Day ceremonies and observing a minute of silence at three in the afternoon on Memorial Day in honor of those who have died.
Non-traditional observance
In more modern times, Memorial Day has become a less solemn occasion. Americans mark Memorial Day as the start of summer and is celebrated with games, picnics, and parades. As years passed, many Americans have become rather nonchalant on the traditional observance of the holiday. The change in the manner of observance and meaning of the celebration was brought on by the National Holiday Act which Congress passed in 1971 making Memorial Day holiday into a three-day weekend. The Veterans of Foreign Wars have criticized this decision to change the date of observance just to accommodate a three-day weekend every year.
“Honor Flight”
One program that hopes to address the nonchalant attitude of modern Americans towards a renewal of the true essence of Memorial Day is “Honor Flight.” This is a non-profit program implemented in many states which brings veterans of the Second World War to visit memorials such as the Iwo Jima flag-raising monument, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the World War II memorial, and the Air Force Memorial.
Millions of people traveling on Memorial Day weekend
On this Memorial Day weekend, gas prices are up but those who are making the trip to weekend getaways will find less cars to compete with on the road. Vacationers can expect less traffic and congestion. But there are still reportedly 34.8 million Americans planning to go somewhere this weekend and 4% of these travelers will not take their cars but avail of other means of transportation such as buses, trains, and various forms of watercraft.
Photo Credit: Memorial Day
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