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 Memorial
Day**
Bahasa Indonesia
The last Monday in
May***
This patriotic day , sometimes called Decoration
Day, honors Americans who gave their lives for their
country.
HISTORY AND OLD
OBSERVANCE:
Originally it honored military personnel who died in
the Civil War. It now also honors the dead of all wars.
Several
communities claim to have originated M-Day, but in
1966, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, New
York, the birthplace of the holiday.
May 5,
1866 drugstore owner Henry Welles suggested that all
shops in this town close for one day to honor the
soldiers killed in the Civil War.
1868
Major General John A. Logan (Retired) issued an order
designating May 30 as one in which the graves of the
Union soldiers would be decorated, a so called Decoration
Day. The Welles and Logan ceremonies were joined, and
Logan served as Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of
the Republic, an organization of Union veterans of the
Civil War.
1882 the
name changed to M-Day, and soldiers who had died
in previous wars were honored as well. In the northern
USA, it was designated as a federal public holiday. The
southern states commemorated their war deads on different
days.
After
World War I, the American Legion took over the duty of
the celebrations from the Grand Army of the Republic.
1971
President Richard Nixon declared it a federal public
holiday on the last Monday in May.
MODERN
OBSERVANCE:
It's a federal public holiday in most states.
*** Most northern states and some Southern States
observe it on the last Mon. in May.
** Since the end of World War I M-Day has also
been Poppy Day. These red bright wildflowers
became a symbol of WW I after a bloody battle in a field
of poppies called Flanders Field in Belgium.
Veterans of military service have organized support
groups such as the American Legion and Veterans
of Foreign Wars. On V-Day and Memorial Day,
these groups raise funds for their charitable activities
by selling paper poppies made by disabled veterans.
People
place flowers and flags on the graves of military
personnel. Military parades and programs, including the
reading of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg
Addressare are held, especially at Gettysburg
National Military Park and at the National Cemetery in
Arlington, Virginia. Arlington is the nation's largest
national cemetery. Not only are members of the armed
forces buried here; astronauts, explorers and other
distinguished Americans have all been honored with a
special place. Some communities hold parades and others
hold memorial services or special programs in churches,
schools or other public meeting places.
Its also
a day for personal remembrance. To many Americans it
signals the beginning of summer.
Related Sites
Memorial Day
versi
Bahasa Indonesia
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