Memorial Day 2016

Memorial Day 2016 will be observed on Monday May 30, 2016. It is a Federal holiday
and it is observed on the last Monday in May and commemorates the men and women
who died while in the military service.
Pay tribute to the U.S. men and women who died during military service by observing a
national moment of remembrance with a minute of silence at 3:00 PM, local time.
Memorial Day 2016 Schedule of Major Events

Arlington National Cemetery, Washington D.C.

Flags in Monday, May 30, 2016

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Monday, May 30, 2016, 11 a.m.

Air Force Memorial Monday, May 30, 2016, 9 a.m., Washington D.C.

Fleet Week Memorial Events TBD, New York City, NY

Gettysburg Memorial Day Parade & Ceremonies Monday, May 30, 2016, 2 p.m.,
Gettysburg, PA

National Memorial Day Concert TBD

National Memorial Day Parade Monday, May 30, 2016, beginning at 2 p.m., Washington
D.C.

Navy Memorial TBD, Washington D.C.

President Lincolns Cottage Monday, May 30, 2016, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Washington D.C.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Monday, May 30, 2016, 1 p.m., Washington D.C.

World War II Memorial Monday, May 30, 2016, 9 a.m., Washington D.C.

Memorial Day Activities & Events to Honor Those Who Died

Visit cemeteries and memorials

Attend Memorial Day ceremonies

Volunteer to place an American Flag on each grave in national cemeteries

Observe a minute of silence at 3:00 PM, local time

Attend a Memorial Day parade, festival, fair or concert such as the National Memorial Day
Concert

Run for charity on Memorial Day weekend

Volunteer to support events such as the National Memorial Day Parade

Donate to veterans and military support groups

History
Memorial Day began sometime after the Civil War with formal and informal ceremonies
at graves and ceremonies for the soldiers who had fallen in battle. Many places claim
to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866 including Waterloo, New York and both
Macon and Columbus, Georgia. On May 5, 1868 the Grand Army of the Republic
(GAR), a Union Veterans organization, established Decoration Day, May 30, as a time
for the nation to decorate the dead with flowers. Arlington National Cemetery held the
first large observance later that year.
Memorial Day ceremonies were being held throughout the country on May 30 by the
end of the 19th century. Over time the Army and Navy adopted policies for proper
observances and state legislatures passed proclamations designating the day. After
World War I the day was expanded to honor those who died in all American wars and in
1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be celebrated on the last
Monday in May.
Know More History
Memorial Day versus Veterans Day
Memorial Day is for remembering and honoring military personnel who dies in the
service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of a wound
sustained in battle.

Veterans Day is intended to thank all those who honorably served in the military in
war time or peace time.
Veterans Day vs Memorial Day
Quick Memorial Day Fact
The Poem Bivouac of the Dead is often recited on Memorial Day and inscribed on iron
tablets throughout many of the countrys national cemeteries including the original
entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. The poem was written by Theodore OHara to
honor his fellow soldiers from Kentucky who died in the Mexican-American War.
Bivouac (/bivooak/) A temporary camp without tents or cover.
Memorial Day Quotes
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that
such men lived. George S. Patton
We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. Francis Amasa Walker
The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great
example. Benjamin Disraeli
As America celebrates Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who have given their
lives in our nations wars. John M. McHugh