All too often around Memorial Day we tend to forge
Post# of 26966
The holiday, instituted in 1866 in the wake of the Civil War, was first known as Decoration Day. It was set aside to remember both Union and Confederate soldiers alike.
More Americans were lost during the Civil War (620,000) than died in both World Wars combined (521,000). Factor in the differences in population and you can imagine how hard of a hit the war between the north and the south was on the country itself.
By the 1880s, the holiday came to be known officially as Memorial Day. A federal mandate in 1971 set the observance on the last Monday of May. This ensured long weekends for those of us lucky to have the day off to grill, travel, visit with friends and family, and do whatever else we want on Memorial Day.
![Like This Post](/images/thumb-up.png)
![Dislike This Post](/images/thumb-down.png)