Memorial Day

5/14/2018 (Permalink)

Honoring those who have served

Did you know?.......Fun Facts & Trivia

•  There is a National Moment of Remembrance established by Congress which asks all Americans to pause each Memorial Day for one minute at 3pm (the time when most of us are stuffing our faces with hamburgers and hot dogs!)

• Decoration Day was established in the 19th century to decorate the graves of soldiers who died during the Civil War. Eventually, it became a remembrance of all brave military men and women, and by 1967 the day was legally changed to Memorial Day.

• The first Decoration Day became extra memorable when James Garfield stepped up to the podium at Arlington National Cemetery in 1868. In the blistering heat, the future President's speech lasted 1 1/2 hours during "a spring day too warm for comfort," observed the New York Times.

• Bringing attention to Vietnam War POW's and MIA's, the "Rolling Thunder" of motorcycles first arrived in Washington DC during Memorial Day Weekend in 1988. Today, more than a million riders and spectators converge on the capital in what has become the world’s largest single-day motorcycle event.