Saluting Those Who Gave Their All

While some people view Memorial Day as the kick-off to summer celebrations, Memorial Day is so much more. It was designated as a day to remember and for saluting our American service members who died while serving in armed conflicts. Celebrated the last Monday in May, the day dates to shortly after the Civil War.

According to the website for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) created Decoration Day on May 5, 1868 – three years after the Civil War’s conclusion – as a time for those across the country to decorate the graves with floral arrangements. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared May 30^th as the date to observe Decoration Day so flowers would be in bloom across the country.

How Does Memorial Day Differ From Veterans Day?

Congress made Memorial Day an official holiday when they passed the National Holiday Act of 1971. Some people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day, but they are two very different observations. Veterans Day is a federal holiday observed on November 11, which was set aside to honor everyone who has served in the military.

Veterans Day got its start as Armistice Day honoring World War I’s conclusion, which officially was November 11, 1918. It was 1954 after the U.S. had been through both World War II and the Korean War when Congress amended the Act of 1938 by removing the word “Armistice” at the urging of different veterans’ service organizations. The legislation was approved on June 1, 1954, they set aside November 11^th as a day to honor all American military veterans.

Thank You To Those Who Gave The Ultimate Sacrifice

Those of us here at Associated Training Services would like to thank all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to help protect our country and its freedoms. We also would like to thank the families of those who were willing to give their lives to our country.