Robert L. DilenschneiderRobert L. Dilenschneider

On Monday, May 29, we celebrate Memorial Day.

This is a day when we honor our military and our fallen heroes—brave men and women who fought and died so all of us can enjoy the freedom we too often take for granted.

The world has changed dramatically in recent years, but Americans in uniform are still on duty doing all they can to preserve peace, balance and fairness in the world.

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, a day that was set aside to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers.

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”

- James A. Garfield
May 30, 1868, Arlington National Cemetery

As you reflect on this Memorial Day, please think about the thousands of men and women who serve in the following countries to protect us:

Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, British Indian Ocean Territories, Canada, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guam, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.

The federal government has also used this holiday to honor non-veterans—the Lincoln Memorial, for example, was dedicated on Memorial Day 1922.

On December 28, 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, designating 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day as a National Moment of Remembrance.

More than 20 towns claim to be the holiday’s “birthplace”—but only one has federal recognition. In 1966, 100 years after the town of Waterloo, New York, held the first of many celebrations, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation recently passed by Congress declaring the upstate village the “official” birthplace of Memorial Day.

Red poppies are often worn on Memorial Day.  They are known as a symbol of remembrance, and it's a tradition to wear them to honor those who died in war.

Since the late 1950’s on the Thursday just before Memorial Day, soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.  A 24-hour patrol is conducted every day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day.

The American flag should be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raised to the top of the staff.

Having more to do with the unofficial start of Summer rather than the holiday’s true purpose, the Indianapolis 500 has become a Memorial Day tradition.  This year will mark the 102nd time the race will coincide with the holiday.

Memorial Day is the second most popular day of the year for outdoor grilling.  The most popular is Independence Day, July 4th.

Permit us to wish you a great weekend.  As we spend time with family and friends enjoying the great outdoors and warm weather, let us never forget the courageous men and women who have served and sacrificed so much so we could enjoy this holiday, just as we honor those who stand duty today to keep us safe.

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Robert L. Dilenschneider is founder and chairman of The Dilenschneider Group, a global public relations and communications consulting firm headquartered in New York City. The former CEO of Hill and Knowlton, Inc., he is also author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling “Power and Influence.”