Memorial Day is a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our nation. During the American Civil War, approximately 600,000 soldiers were killed in action and almost every community in every state suffered the loss of young men. As the war came to an end, mourners in both Southern and Northern states placed flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. On May 5, 1866, the citizens of Waterloo, New York closed their shops in businesses so that everyone could decorate the graves of the men killed during the war.
John A. Logan was the leader of the Union Veteran Association and he spearheaded an effort to unite all the decoration services into one national holiday. In 1868, the first national Decoration Day was established. 5,000 war widows, orphans, and other mourners gathered at Arlington Cemetery. They placed ribbons and flowers on the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers.
Throughout the 19th century, Decoration Day grew and ceremonies were held in major Civil War battlefields. By the end of the century, the holiday was renamed Memorial Day. World War One brought in a new type of warfare and over 130,000 American soldiers were lost in the global conflict. When the war ended, May 30th became a day to honor all American soldiers who died in battle, as far back as the Revolutionary War. America interred its first Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on Armistice Day in 1921. Every Memorial Day, this soldier as well as other unknown soldiers are honored with a wreath-laying ceremony conducted by the president or vice president. They are reminders of all those who never made it home.
Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971 and Congress shifted it from May 30th to the fourth Monday in May, giving federal workers a three-day weekend. Across America, veterans and civilians gather in parades and vigils to remember the generations who gave their lives to our nation’s freedom. The United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 6 (AKA the Flag Code) specifies days in which it is particularly appropriate to display the US Flag. You are encouraged to fly the flag on all days that do not have inclement weather but should be flown at half-staff on Memorial Day. If raising the flag, it should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. The term “half-staff” or “half-mast’ are interchangeable meaning lowering the flag to one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff.
At Buchheit, we would like to honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our liberty and freedom. We proudly honor our Military with an everyday Military Discount Program. It is our hope that you will know how much we appreciate your sacrifice and service to this great country that we are privileged to call “The Land of the Free.”
