05/27/2021
To paraphrase FDR, "Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy, forget in time those who have died to win them." Yes, we will all enjoy the long weekend, but let's also remember those who paid the ultimate price and their families who will forever grieve their loss.
"Memorial Day officially became a federal holiday in 1971, but it had previously been observed in an unofficial capacity for quite some time. A similarly thoughtful, commemorative day reportedly took place all the way back on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina (one of my favorite cities). The History Channel reports that after the Civil War ended and Confederate soldiers left Charleston, a group of freed slaves gathered to bury and honor the bodies of Union soldiers via a small parade. And in 1868, Union General John A. Logan suggested that May 30 should be the first annual day dedicated to the memory of all soldiers who fell during the Civil War.
But the commemoration of such "memorial days" remained unofficial for several more decades. According to the Library of Congress, it wasn't until 1950 that Congress would agree upon a resolution asking the president to "issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe...Memorial Day, by praying, each in accordance with his religious faith, for permanent peace." Nearly 20 years later in 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was finally passed, which both declared that Memorial Day would take place on the last Monday in May and required that federal employees be granted a day off. In 1971, Memorial Day officially became a federal holiday intended to observe and honor the people who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military."