Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers
A member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as The Old Guard, places flags in front of each headstone for"Flags-In" at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Thursday, May 25, 2023, to honor the Nation's fallen military heroes ahead of Memorial Day.
“Memorial Day is very personal,” said Castañeda, who also served in the Marines and Army National Guard, from which he knew men who died in combat. “It isn’t just the specials. It isn’t just the barbecue.” Yet Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, traced its first observance to October 1864, according to the Library of Congress. And women in some Confederate states were decorating graves before the war’s end.
In 2021, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel cited the story in a Memorial Day speech in Hudson, Ohio. The ceremony’s organizers turned off his microphone because they said it wasn’t relevant to honoring the city’s veterans. The event’s organizers later resigned.Someone has always lamented the holiday’s drift from its original meaning.
His concerns were well-founded, said Ben Railton, a professor of English and American studies at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. Even though roughly 180,000 Black men served in the Union Army, the holiday in many communities would essentially become “white Memorial Day,” especially after the rise of the Jim Crow South, Railton said.
In 1972, Time Magazine said the holiday had become “a three-day nationwide hootenanny that seems to have lost much of its original purpose.”Even in the 19th century, grave ceremonies were followed by leisure activities such as picnicking and foot races, Dennis said.
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From the Civil War to today's mattress sales, Memorial Day is full of contradictionMemorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members
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From the Civil War to today's mattress sales, Memorial Day is full of contradictionMemorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members. But it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of retail discounts. Memorial Day has long been a source of contention and contradiction, from its shifting origin stories to today’s mattress sales. Auto club AAA forecasts that this holiday weekend could be “one for the record books, especially at airports.” More than 42 million Americans are projected to travel 50 miles or more. Compared to last year, 2.7 million more people will travel for the unofficial start of summer. And that's despite inflation.
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Memorial Day vs. Veterans Day: What's the Difference?Memorial Day and Veterans Day are two important holidays that honor those who have served in the United States military. However, there is a difference between the two holidays.
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Poppy Day proclaimed before Memorial Day in EnterprisePoppies are worn as a tribute to fallen and future veterans and service members. The new holiday is now annually observed the Friday before Memorial Day.
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AAA predicts Thursday to be busiest travel day for Memorial Day weekendTravelers can bet both Hobby and Bush airports will be busy this Memorial Day weekend, but ABC13 has the tips you need for a smooth holiday trip.
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Friday will be busiest travel day of Memorial Day weekend, AAA saysMore than 2.1 million Floridians are expected to take a road trip for Memorial Day, according to AAA. Unfortunately, it means thousands of them will experience car trouble, AAA said.
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