This is the day we celebrate it, even though the original holiday is a few days from now.
Title 36 of the United States Code enshrines, not just the date, but also the meaning of the holiday and some instructions about the manner in which the holiday is supposed to be celebrated.
Memorial Day commemorates the brave men and women who have fallen while wearing the uniforms of the United States. While we remember, part of those “instructions” written into the law are to take time out to pray, in whatever manner each of us does so, to pray for permanent peace.
Memorial Day was originally Decoration Day, and it began in honor of the soldiers who died on both sides of the Civil War.
It’s the most painful trivia question ever: “What war caused the most American casualties?” In spite of technology-based killing machines, the answer is still the U.S. Civil War.
Because both sides were us.
