Memorial Day

There are numerous stories and legends about the origin of Memorial Day that have grown up over the last 150-odd years. From the freedmen of Charleston, SC, who cleaned up and landscaped the burial grounds of 257 Union prisoners of war buried at the Hampton Park Race course and then held a memorial service for the dead soldiers  on May 1, 1865, to various other towns across the country claiming to be the originators of Memorial Day, there has been no agreement on where the definite establishment of the observance first originated. It is certain, however, that General John A. Logan, Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, proclaimed on May 5, 1868, that issued a proclamation that “Decoration Day” be observed annually on a national basis. *

Whatever the actual beginning, Memorial Day is an important and solemn reminder of the debt owed to the fallen servicemen and women who have served and protected this country over the years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day