By: Bob Adner

On May 30, 1868, General John A. Logan, Commander-in- Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, proclaimed a day to honor the Union soldiers who died, thus making it a holiday. According to the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum’s website, General Logan stated the following; “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” People do not just decorate the graves of fallen military soldiers who defended our freedom. Many families visit graves who are special to them. Flowers are usually presented at all ceremonies, whether they are private or public.

Many cities have laid claim to starting the decoration day celebration but Waterloo, NY was the first to officially celebrate Decoration Day on May 5, 1868. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery to decorate the graves of more than 20,000 Civil War soldiers that were buried there, more than 600,000 died during the Civil War. In 1873, New York was the first to designate Memorial Day as an official holiday. By the turn of the century, many more cities and several states did the same.

Following World War 1, it became an occasion to honor those who passed on in all of America’s wars. In the late 1960s, U.S. Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, changing Memorial Day from May 30 to the last Monday in May. This change went into effect in 1971, allowing federal workers a three-day weekend. It has remained that way ever since, making Memorial Day an official federal holiday.