Memorial Day

We have a very special holiday coming up on Monday the 28th of May. Memorial Day. A day to remember soldiers who have lost their lives protecting civilians. Throughout history we have unfortunately lost many loved ones and Memorial Day has become a day to honor these fallen loved ones. 

Following the Civil War, the federal government began a program of creating national cemeteries for those lost in the war. Both the Union and Confederacy held separate memorials. 

Among the first was held in Charleston, South Carolina. At least 257 Union soldiers had died after being held as prisoners of war in the Charleston Race Course. Freedmen (freed slaves) knew of the Union soldiers and decided to honor them. Nearly 10,000 people, mostly African Americans, gathered on May 1st, 1865 to commemorate the dead. A historian David W. Blight wrote this about the day: "This was the first Memorial Day. African Americans invented Memorial day in Charleston, South Carolina. What you have there is black Americans recently freed from slavery announcing to the world with their flowers, their feet, and their songs what the war had been about. What they basically were creating was the Independence Day of a Second American Revolution." 

Across the South, many associations were founded, mostly by women, to create and care for permanent cemeteries and also organize commemorative ceremonies for Confederate soldiers. In 1866, women in Columbus, Mississippi laid flowers at the graves of both the Union and Confederate casualties buried in its cemetery. On May 5th, 1868, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" should be held nationwide. 

Today many people observe Memorial Day by visiting memorials and cemeteries. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3pm local time. Volunteer organizations such as Boy Scouts of America often place American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries. 

No matter your geographic location in the world. No matter what country you are from. No matter what war was fought. Losing loved ones on a battlefield is something that deserves recognition. What better way to memorialize a fallen loved one then to own a keepsake that will last a lifetime. A keepsake you can share with your children, share the stories behind the coin and how it relates to you and your families personal history. 

However you decide to spend your Memorial Day weekend, remember that it is much more than a three day weekend to kick off the start of summer. It is a holiday that observes those that have given their lives to protect us. 

Please feel free to post a comment regarding your perspective or opinion of Memorial Day and be sure to visit our website for coins commemorating wars, battles and fallen soldiers throughout the world.