Special Days to Honor Our Service Members

For many citizens, the distinction between Memorial Day and Veterans Day is fuzzy, both are similarly viewed as occasions for parades, flags, and a day off from work.

But the difference between the two matters, especially to families of service members: Memorial Day is meant to honor the dead, while Veterans Day celebrates the living.

Memorial Day, first called “Decoration Day,” was conceived by a group of Union Army veterans after the Civil War ended as a day to lay flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. Bouquets and evergreens from public gardens and the President’s Conservatory and Treasury gardens were placed throughout Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868 during a ceremony attended by thousands. In 1971, Memorial Day was expanded by Congress to honor all soldiers who have died in service to the country.