On Monday, May 25th, millions of Americans will be taking the time to celebrate Memorial Day as the unofficial first day of summer and to honor those who gave their lives for freedom in wars at home and abroad.

 

The practice of honoring fallen soldiers began in the years following the Civil War when John Logan - a veteran of the war and head of the Union veterans organization - established Decoration Day to place flowers on the graves of those who had fought. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the first national observance in 1868 took place on May 30th because flowers would be in full bloom during that time. A century later, Congress officially fixed the date to the last Monday in the month of May, making this year's celebration the earliest day the holiday can take place. The name was official standardized as "Memorial Day" just a few years later in 1971.

According to Statista, over 1.3 million U.S. troops have died to maintain our freedom from 1775 to 2025.

LASN honors the brave men and women who have made this ultimate sacrifice for their country, our first responders who keep us safe here at home, and our military veterans, who will be honored on November 11th.