Eva Herczyk, Freshman
Memorial Day is a day set in place to remember and honor those who lost their lives in war. The first official Memorial Day was on May 30th, 1868 to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. In 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday.
Memorial Day is often celebrated by parades, cookouts, visiting memorials, and more. There is a Memorial Day march on May 30th, in Flemington NJ. Many people show up to these events to show their respect for those who gave their lives for the well-being of our country. Although many people are looking forward to the long weekend, we can not forget why this holiday is set in place.
There are many things that can be done on Memorial Day to help out veterans and show our respect. To help out a veteran, you can donate to Building Homes for Heroes, which is an organization that builds homes for veterans. You can also make a Memorial Day poppy. Red poppies are worn to show remembrance. Another thing you can do on Memorial Day is to make care packages for current soldiers. Operation Gratitude holds several events during Memorial Day Weekend. You can also fly a flag, and or take a moment of silence at 3pm for the National Moment of Remembrance. Donating flowers to soldiers' graves is also a common act that people do to show their respect and support. If you know a spouse or a parent of a soldier who lost their life in war, you can make a call to them. Memorial Day for some people can be very painful, so making a call and showing love and support could go a long way.
Memorial Day is not the only holiday that we have to honor soldiers. Veterans Day is a day that we use to honor our current soldiers and veterans who are still alive. Memorial Day is special because it is solely honoring soldiers who lost their life in war.
This Memorial Day makes sure to remember and honor the soldiers that died for our country. Consider donating to trusted organizations, making red poppies, going to visit a memorial or a soldier's grave, or calling a relative of a fallen soldier.
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