memorial weekend

[philgrove]

happy memorial weekend/day to all u.s. members and guests, from phil and family[msnsmile2]

[trevlad]

nice one phil.
we were out last week and they were advertising memorial weekend etc with special deals at car showrooms and on 3 piece suites etc
what is memorial weekend, similar to our bank holidays , memorial of what???

[esprit]

Those killed in the wars I think. It is a bank holiday here and marked with nothing more special than sales everywhere as you say!!

[trevlad]

ah our remeberance sunday, in november. it's funny how we have the same things , but different?!?!?

trev[8D]

i love this site, more info than the encyclopedia brittanica!

[kaysvacationvilla]

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.

[pbensur]

Yes - lots of sales in the malls - but, most people get together with family and visit gravesites with flowers in hand and have backyard picnics.

[bridget]

Isn't it the 60 year anniversery of D-Day? Is that the memorial?

[John Boy]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:
what is memorial weekend, similar to our bank holidays , memorial of what???
[/quote]

[u]Here you go trev a complete history of what memorial day is</u>


In 1865, Henry C. Wells, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, mentioned at a social gathering that honour should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves.
In the Spring of 1866, he again mentioned this subject to General John B. Murray. Seneca County Clerk. General Murray embraced the idea and a committee was formulated to plan a day devoted to honouring the dead.
Townspeople adopted the idea wholeheartedly. Wreaths, crosses and bouquets were made for each veteran's grave. The village was decorated with flags at half mast and draped with evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.
On May 5, 1866, civic societies joined the procession to the three existing cemeteries and were led by veterans marching to martial music. At each cemetery there were impressive and lengthy services including speeches by General Murray and a local clergyman. The ceremonies were repeated on May 5, 1867.
The first official recognition of Memorial Day as such was issued by General John A. Logann, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. This was General Order No. 11 establishing "Decoration Day" as it was then known. The date of the order was May 5, 1868, exactly two years after Waterloo's first observance. That year Waterloo joined other communities in the nation by having their ceremony on May 30.
In 1965, a committee of community leaders started plans for the Centennial Celebration of Memorial Day. The committee consisted of VFW Commander James McCann, chairman, American Legion Commander Oliver J. McFall and Mayor Marion DeCicca, co-chairman, along with Village Trustees, M. Lewis Somerville, Roscoe Bartran, Richard Schreck, Tony DiPronio, and VFW Vice-Commander, Kenneth Matoon. Their goals were: "to obtain national recognition of the fact that Waterloo is the birthplace of Memorial Day through Congressional action" and "to plan and execute a proper celebration for such centennial observance."
In May of 1966, just in time for the Centennial, Waterloo was recognized as the "Birthplace of Memorial Day" by the United States Government. This recognition was long in coming and involved hours of painstaking research to prove the claim. While other communities may claim earlier observances of honoring the Civil War dead, none can claim to have been so well planned and complete, nor can they claim the continuity of observances that Waterloo can.
The Centennial Celebration that year brought dignitaries from government, military, veteran's organizations and descendants of the original founders of Memorial Day. A once luxurious home on Waterloo's Main Street, built in 1850, was purchased from the county and restored. Now the Memorial Day Museum, it houses artifacts of the first Memorial Day and the Civil War era.
Memorial Day is commemorated each year in Waterloo. The parade, speeches, and solemn observances keep the meaning of Memorial Day as it was originally intended to be.

[Jules]

Trev they still have Remembrance day in the USA in November but it's called veterans day.