Memorial Day

First a brief history of Memorial Day:

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May...

Today is the day set aside to honor our war dead. We honor those who have given all to defend our liberties and protect our freedoms. We hang our flags at half mast until noon, we place flowers and flags on graves of the fallen. And as a nation, we pause at 3:00PM in a moment of silence to remember those who have fought and died for us.

This is also a day to enjoy the liberty we have inherited. We gather with family and friends, boating and grilling, playing volley ball and . We eat potato salad and go to the ball game. Some of us head out to the range (and have the rain drive us away) and others watch the summer's first blockbusters at the theatre. Enjoy this long weekend with family and friends, please spend a moment remembering those who died so we can enjoy weekends such as these.