In remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, our office will be closed Monday, May 25th, in honor of Memorial Day.
Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day’s origination goes back to right after the Civil War, where a divided country came together to honor its fallen soldiers. Shortly after the war ended, groups of men and women would visit their cemeteries and decorate the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers with flowers, wreaths, and flags. The first large-scale observance took place in Arlington National Cemetery on May 30th, 1868, where Washington officials such as General Ulysses S. Grant gave speeches, sang hymns, recited prayers, and placed flowers on graves. It was not until after World War 1 when Decoration Day was expanded to honor all American soldiers who died while serving in the military. In 1967, federal law renamed Decoration Day to Memorial Day and in 1971, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Memorial Day as a national holiday that is to be held on the last Monday of May.
Today, many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, getting together with friends and family, participating in parades, and by joining in for a nationwide moment of silence at 3 p.m. (local time) to remember and honor those who died in service to our country. This National Moment of Remembrance was established by Congress in 2000, and 3 p.m. was chosen as the time because it “is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday.”