Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 30 in 2011). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. Service members who died while in military service. First enacted by formerly enslaved African-Americans to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War – it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars. Over the years, it has come to include all our departed loved ones. We visit graves, decorate them in various ways with flowers and other momentos, and pause for a few minutes to remember them.
