MEMORIAL DAY

MEMORIAL DAY

Today is the last Monday in May. It is a federal holiday. It is a day off of work and school. It is the unofficial first day of summer. It is the traditional day to run the Indianapolis 500 auto race though they have changed that to Sunday. It is a day for family gatherings, picnics and back yard parties.

What a mess!

May 30th was originally Decoration Day. It was the day set aside to visit the graves of and to honor Union soldiers after the Civil War. After World War I, it came to include all those who gave their lives in any war or military conflict and the name was changed to Memorial Day.

On June 28, 1968, the US Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill. It moved Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day from their traditional days to Mondays in order to make a long weekend for workers and not disrupt business. (Washington's Birthday holiday eventually became Presidents Day). At one time, all of those days were national holidays.

Now, most American workers only have a business holiday on Memorial Day. Changing those holidays to Mondays diminished their importance. Yes, I'll say it again - changing those holidays to Mondays diminished their importance. Don't let that happen to Memorial Day. We need to get Memorial Day back to May 30th. Damn the 3-day weekend. We're selling our history for convenience.