These are the final resting places of millions of veterans, including many thousands who died in combat from the Revolutionary War to the present day conflicts in the Middle East.
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Darrel “Hollywood” Whiting, left, reads the names of those lost in the Korean War while Annabelle Moreno places a flower in remembrance of each fallen troop’s name Sunday during a Memorial Day weekend event to honor Hall County’s fallen troops at Rock Creek Veterans Park in Gainesville.
Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. For many, Memorial Day is a somber occasion.
Over the years, the observance widened in scope to include all American casualties of war.
Others will remain closer to home today to celebrate the national holiday established after the Civil War to honor our war dead.
Just ahead of Memorial Day, vandals defaced a Vietnam War memorial in Venice, California with spray paint, covering up the names of American service members who went missing in action. “Each simple stone marker, arranged in ideal military precision, signifies the cost of our blessings”. It was a chance for all to stop and pay tribute to fallen heroes. “By remaining a nation worthy of their sacrifice”.
There’s the last day of the Silver Dollar Fair, water fun, Lake Oroville, camping, Oroville Pow Wow, yard work, oft-delayed house projects, barbecues, family outings, special services.
More than 100,000 more Union soldiers died in the Civil War than Confederate soldiers.
“It’s worth remembering that every person who has enlisted since late 2001 has done so knowing we’re at war, and understanding that combat experience is likely”, Feulner said.
Jim Hanley, a member of the Legion, said, “For somebody to do this to a veteran who gave his life, I don’t understand”. Americans, in what gradually became known as Memorial Day, commemorated all native soldiers who had fought and died in battle.
The “Taps” call is often played at military funerals. In 2015, VA honored more than 353,000 veterans and their loved ones with memorial benefits in national, state, tribal and private cemeteries.
The Indianapolis 500 auto race is always held over Memorial Day weekend. Anthony Burrus, 27-years-old, was arrested for destroying nearly 200 crosses after police found them in the back of his pickup truck.
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For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day.
