Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last
Monday of May.  It was formerly known as Decoration Day and was formerly
observed on May 30.  This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women
who have died in military service to their country.

It began first to honor  Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War.
After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action.

Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national
moment of remembrance takes place at 3 pm Washington time. Another tradition is to
fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers place a U.S.
Flag upon each gravesite located in a National Cemetery.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many
Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At
many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most
people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are
towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in
decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just
those fallen in service to our country.

There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before
Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at
each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then
patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In
1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000
graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice
that continues to this day.

More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for
Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of
approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and
Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye's Heights (the Luminaria Program). And
in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the
"National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks
that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in
their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they
are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."
Memorial Day

In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also a time for picnics, family
gatherings, and sporting events.  Many Americans view Memorial Day as the
unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season.

One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500,
which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.
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