Many Americans look at Memorial Day as a day that provides them with a 3 day weekend, a day to have Barbeque, salad, or a day that represents the beginning of the summer. We celebrate with picnics, parades and festivities, it’s worth remembering that the holiday’s true intent was to honor our fallen heroes.
It was first celebrated on May 30, in 1971 Memorial Day was officially made to be celebrated on the last Monday in May. Memorial Day wasn't the first name of this holiday. It was first called Decoration Day. One of the more popular sights on Memorial Day is the American flag flying at half staff. Mrozek said practices like this one and the singing of the national anthem at various events are part of what many historians call a patriotic revival that peaked in the 1930s and during the years of World War II.
