There are two American holidays that might be hard to tell apart, because both honor people who have served in the United States military. One is Memorial Day, which takes place on the last Monday in May. The other is Veterans Day, which is on November 11 each year.The simplest way to describe the difference is that Memorial Day honors people who died in combat while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Day honors people who have served in the United States Armed Forces, both those who are dead and those yet alive.The U.S. Armed Forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day. The fighting in World War I was stopped on November 11, 1918, and the war formally ended on June 28, 1919. Because the fighting stopped on November 11, it was called Armistice Day.Later on, the name was changed to Veterans Day.Memorial Day is older. It began after the American Civil War.The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865. During those four years, more American soldiers and sailors died than in any other war, before or since. Adding the Confederate Army and the Union Army deaths, the total comes to 1,129,418.After the war, people in the North and in the South wanted to honor those who had lost their lives in the conflict. In 1868, this desire became a national effort because of something called General Order Number 11.On the 5th of May in 1868, General John Logan, who was the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, gave Order Number 11, which said, in part:“The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land.”May 30 wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle, it was just a day that General Logan picked. He called it Decoration Day.On that May 30th, the graves of 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington Cemetery were decorated.After World War I, the holiday changed from honoring those who died in the Civil War, to honoring those who died fighting in any war. In 1968, the name was changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day, and in 1971, the date was changed to the last Monday in May. The holiday lasts three days—Saturday, Sunday, and Monday—which are referred to as Memorial Day Weekend.Summer doesn’t officially start until June 21, but many people consider Memorial Day Weekend to mark the beginning of summer. And so on that weekend, people often combine honoring those who died in wars, with fun family activities, such as having a barbecue or a picnic.Here are some of the things people do on Memorial Day to honor the dead:Visit cemeteries and put American flags or flowers on the graves of veterans.Clean the headstones of fallen service members. (Get permission first, and find out exactly how to clean the headstones so you don’t damage them.)Watch or march in a Memorial Day Parade.Fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until noon, then raise it to the top of the flag pole.Have a moment of silence. There is a “National Moment of Remembrance” at 3:00 p.m. local time, so people can pause and think about the meaning of the day and those who gave their lives for our country.Make your own red, white, and blue decorations. Search for Memorial Day crafts and decorations to discover many fun ideas.Watch a movie. Many war movies are rated R, but there are some good ones that are not and would be okay for children. Here are a few suggestions.Lincoln is a great Civil War film for older kids and teens (rated PG-13). Megan Leavey, a movie about a dog that saves his handler’s life, and she in turn, works to save his (rated PG-13).Highly recommended for young children is an animated film called Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, about a dog that serves in the military. The Red Badge of Courage is appropriate for elementary school kids and up.Visit a museum, historical site, or war memorial.Sing or listen to patriotic songs.Make a red, white, and blue dessert. A simple one is to put red and blue sports drinks or juices into ice cube trays and freeze them. Or decorate a cake that has white frosting by putting strawberries and blueberries on it.Those who died in war are said to have given the ultimate sacrifice. This Memorial Day, find a way to thank them.Fun Facts• On Memorial Day, many people wear a red flower called a poppy. This tradition started in World War I.• A Canadian soldier named John McCrae wrote a poem entitled In Flanders Fields. It begins, “In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row.”• In 1918, an American professor, Moina Michael, wrote a poem in response to McCrae’s. Her poem is called We Shall Keep the Faith and includes these lines: “We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led.”• It was Moina Michael who came up with the idea of selling poppies to help honor and support veterans.
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