🇺🇸 Memorial Day 2024: How to Honor and Commemorate

What's the meaning and history of Memorial Day?

• While unofficially marking the beginning of summer, Memorial Day honors the service of U.S. military personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty. 
• The first observances of Memorial Day began the year after the Civil War ended in 1866 when several communities gathered together to decorate the graves of local soldiers killed in the conflict.
• Where the holiday officially began has been a matter of debate as various communities — including some in Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania — have claimed to be its birthplace. In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared that Waterloo, New York, had been the true birthplace a century earlier when the town's businesses all closed for the day, and flags were flown at half-staff.

How many American service members have died in the line of duty?

• The Civil War remains the deadliest conflict in U.S. history, accounting for about 750,000 of the more than 1,354,664 Americans who died in the service of their country since the Revolutionary War. 
• World War II was the deadliest conflict since the turn of the 20th century, in which 405,000 service members died, and over 291,000 were killed in combat. 
• Over 7,000 U.S. military members died in the 21st century during the Global War on Terror, which began following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Most of those deaths occurred during military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
• Most of the U.S. military deaths have been among service members younger than 30.

How to honor those who have served

There are a number of non-profit organizations and other initiatives that are intended to help Gold Star families who lost a family member in the course of their service to the country. 

This year, honor those who have served and members of Gold Star families through our Memorial Day Gravvy Spread, allowing you to make today's giving fast, personal, and effective.

Memorial Day Spread

Commemorate Memorial Day with charitable giving. 

(Photo credit: Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation)