This document provides information about Memorial Day, including when it is celebrated, how it originated, traditions associated with it, and some statistics. It discusses that Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May, was established to honor US soldiers who died in military service, and is traditionally celebrated by visiting cemeteries and memorials or attending parades and ceremonies. It also lists some Memorial Day facts and statistics from recent years.

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3. When is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day falls
on the last Monday
in May, each and
every year.
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4. Why Celebrate Memorial Day?
Memorial Day was
established to
recognize and
commemorate U.S.
soldiers who died in
military service.
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5. Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day?
Americans observe
Memorial Day by
visiting cemeteries and
the memorials of the fallen.
A national moment of
remembrance takes place
at 3pm local time.
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6. Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day?
Another tradition is to fly
the flag of the United States
at half-staff from dawn until
noon local time.
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7. Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day?
One of the longest-standing
traditions is the running of the
Indianapolis 500, an auto race
which has been held in
conjunction with Memorial Day
Since 1911.
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8. Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day?
The Coca-Cola 600
stock car race has
been held later the
same day since 1961
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9. Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day?
The National Memorial
Day Concert takes place
on the west lawn of the
United States Capitol.
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10. Memorial Day Statistics
Approximately 32.1 million
people traveled over the
holiday weekend.
Daily car rental rates
were $36.65
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11. Memorial Day Statistics
28 million people that
traveled reached their
destination by driving.
Passengers paid a lowest
average round-trip fare
of $176 per ticket.
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12. Memorial Day Facts
Formerly known as Decoration Day, it was first enacted to honor Union
and Confederate soldiers following the American Civil War.
In May 1966, Waterloo, NY was officially declared the birthplace of
Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson because the practice of
decorating soldiers’ graves was first observed on May 5, 1866 and each
year thereafter.
On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand
Army of the Republic, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation that
“Decoration Day” should be observed nationwide. It was observed for
the first time on May 30 of the same year.
Ironton, OH lays claim to the nation’s oldest continuously running
Memorial Day parade, a tradition since 1869. The first parade was held
May 5, 1868.
The ceremonies and Memorial Day address at Gettysburg National Park
were nationally famous, starting in 1868.
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13. Memorial Day Facts
On June 28, 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved 3 holidays from
their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient 3-day weekend.
The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in
May.
The 1st state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was
recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day,
honoring their dead on separate days until after WWI.
In July 1913, veterans of the United States and Confederate armies gathered in Gettysburg
to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the Civil War’s Bloodiest and most famous
battle.
In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000
graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that
continues to this day.
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14. Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
http://www.travelindustrywire.com/article45982.html
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15. Toll Free 866-569-8272
Serving Veteran and Military Home Owners Nationwide
Apply online at
www.LowVARates.com
www.LowVARates.com or Toll Free
866-569-8272