Memorial Day history runs back to the times of Civil War in American. Several communities reserved a day that showed the end of the war. It was also a memorial for the people who died during it. The first Memorial Day was formally observed at Washington Race Course, in Charleston, South Carolina by enslaved black people. On 1st May 1865 more then ten thousand mostly black people did a small celebration giving birth to the Decoration Day. 2800 children also took part in the celebration which included a small picnic, singing, dancing and few sermons. Before the Race Course was a mass grave of Union Soldiers who died during the war and it also was a temporary Confederation prison camp.
On 5th May 1866 first time Memorial Day was observed in Waterloo, New York. Many Southern States refused to mark the day in the beginning due to their aggression towards the Union Army. However after World War II all the states accepted this day as a federal holiday.
Initially the name Decorative Day was used to mark this day. Memorial Day was used for the first time in 1882. This name gained its popularity after World War II and on 28th June 1968 American Congress passed the bill of marking this day as a federal holiday.
The rate things are going at perhaps we will have a MEMORIAL WEEK or Month? God Bless our troops, and send them home safely. God help the country to learn new and better strategies to deal with the threats to our country. After it's not like we don't have the brains to do so!