Did you know that today was first observed as Decoration Day in honor of the fallen Civil War soldiers? The first national observance was on 30 May 1868 and originally honored Union soldiers who lost their lives in the war.

Decoration Day, later Memorial Day, continued to be observed on 30 May until 1970. In 1971, Memorial Day was designated to fall on the last Monday in May.

“Memorial Day,” first named in 1882, gradually became the more common name for the military observance, but didn’t become the official name until a federal law was passed in 1967.

Honor the soldiers who gave their lives for freedom by visiting a cemetery to say thank you. Everyone needs to remember that Freedom is not free.