Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Some confuse the two days. Memorial Day  is set aside to remember and honor those in the military who died in the service of their country. Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime and those who died are also remembered

Memorial Day Trivia

• It was a post Civil War, Southern tradition first known as Decoration Day.
• It to honor and remember the soldiers who died. In 1882, many people began calling it “Memorial Day”. After World Wars I and II, it became accepted as a day to remember all of our military men and women who died, not just those from the Civil War era. A Federal law was passed in 1987 officially acknowledging the name of the holiday as “Memorial Day”.
• It is customary to fly the flag at half staff until noon.
• In 2000, Congress established a National Moment of Remembrance, which asks Americans to pause for one minute at 3pm in an act of national unity.

Veterans Day Trivia

• Veterans Day is always observed officially on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls. The Veterans Day National Ceremony, like most ceremonies around the nation, is held on Veterans Day itself. However, when Veterans Day falls on a weekday, many communities choose to hold Veterans Day parades or other celebrations on the weekend before or after November 11 so that more people can participate.
• A number of countries honor their veterans each year on November 11, although the name and types of commemorations differ somewhat from Veterans Day celebrations in the United States. For example, Canada and Australia observe "Remembrance Day" on November 11, and Great Britain observes "Remembrance Day" on the Sunday nearest to November 11. There are similarities and differences between these countries' Remembrance Day and America's Veterans Day. Canada's observance is actually quite similar to the U.S. celebration, in that the day is intended to honor all who served in Canada's Armed Forces. However, unlike in the U.S., many Canadians wear red poppy flowers on November 11 in honor of their war dead. In Australia, Remembrance Day is very much like America's Memorial Day, a day to honor that nation's war dead.