What are you doing this Memorial Day?

When most people think of Memorial Day, they immediately associate it with a three day weekend,  BBQ’s and a kick off to the summer season.

These things are all fine and good, but there is more to Memorial Day than just party time.

Originally called “Decoration Day”, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.  While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. There is evidence of many women’s groups in the south decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.

Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, an act that has made many feel  made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day.

So what can we do to honor our nations fallen tomorrow?  There are few things that can be done without distracting from your favorite past-times:

1. Visit cemeteries and memorials and placing flags on the graves of our fallen heroes.

2.  Observe a national moment of remembrance that takes place at 3 p.m. local time or the playing of Taps at that time.

3. Fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time.

4. Make a donation to your local VFW or Veteran’s hospitals, whether it be a donation of time, goods, or money.

5. Write your congressional representatives to support S 189 to the Senate (in the house as (H.R. 1474)) to restore Memorial Day observance to May 30th of every year.

No matter how you choose to observe the holiday, please  take a moment out of the busy weekend to remember those men and women who fell so we can celebrate freely this weekend.