Today is Memorial Day - I have such mixed emotions about traditional Memorial Day having been moved to the last Monday of May. On one hand, it’s nice to officially have the three day weekend, that many people took anyway, and it’s nice to have a “official” start of Summer. On the other hand, Memorial Day has been cheapened by the move, and it is no longer observed with the reverence and respect that it should be.

The day originally began as Decoration Day, proposed by the GAR - the Grand Army of the Republic - a veterans’ organization. Decoration Day was proposed on May 5, 1868, and was set for May 30 every year because flowers would be in bloom everywhere in the United States, as a time to remember those who had fallen during the Civil War. The first observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, where flowers were strewn by the GAR on graves of Union AND Confederate graves. As a part of the ceremony, small American flags were placed on each grave, a tradition that is carried on yet today.

My grandmother, who was born in 1898 and grew up in the early years of the 20th Century, knew the day as a time to memorialize fallen veterans of The Civil War but it was not until after the War to End All Wars that the day was expanded to honor all American war dead. Grandma continued to call it Decoration Day until she died in 1971.

For me, this will always be Memorial Day, and following tradition, I will observe a moment of silence at 3:00 PM today, to honor Americans who made the supreme sacrifice to protect my way of life.