Veteran asks: What does Memorial Day mean?

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Veteran asks: What does Memorial Day mean?

Fri, 05/22/2020 - 02:43
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Honoring the fallen in battle is not a recent practice. In fact, remembrance of soldiers and loved ones dates back thousands of years. Greeks and Romans gathered at gravesites with flowers and held festivals and feasts in their honor. The evolution of Memorial Day went through numerous changes. This day had its earliest and modest beginnings in the United States after the Civil War. On May 1, 1865, recently freed slaves gathered with regiments of the U.S. Colored Troops to sanctify a new burial site for the Union dead in Charleston, South Carolina. This occurred one month after the Civil War ended. In May 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, as commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group, issued a decree making May 30 a nationwide day of commemoration for the 620,000 (represented by Union and Confederate troops) killed in the Civil War. This was the creation of Decoration Day that evolved into our current Memorial Day, with Logan acknowledged as the founder. It was noted that Logan chose…

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