Last weekend, many people across the United States paid their respects to countless service men and women who have lost their lives in battle.
Memorial Day, which was originally named Decoration Day for the ornaments placed on the graves of the fallen, was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to honor the more than 20,000 soldiers who died during the Civil War.
Since citizens of this nation were fighting against each other, more American lives were lost during the Civil War than in any war in previous years.
The country mourned the loss of its brothers at different times and in different places but in the same way, paying respect and honoring ultimate sacrifice.
Thousands honored Union soldiers with a memorial program at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Following a speech from Ohio Congressman James Garfield, about 5,000 people came together to decorate the graves of the soldiers who were laid there to rest, according to PBS.org.
Citizens of southern states, who lost loved ones that fought with the Confederacy, honored their fallen on Jan. 19 in Texas, April 26 in Florida and Georgia, May 10 in North and South Carolina, June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee, the third Monday in January in Arkansas, the fourth Monday in April in Alabama and Mississippi, and the last Monday in May in Virginia, according to PBS.org.
Since the Civil War, citizens of this country have lost loved ones in World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Memorial Day has not been set aside merely to remember people who fought and died nearly 200 years ago but also those who once walked beside us, held us in their arms and accepted their nation’s call of duty.
On May 27, loved ones gathered at the Carroll County Courthouse in Carrollton for a program where Third Arrow Chapter, MSSDAR Vice Regent Liz Wilson spoke about the origin of Memorial Day, and students from Carroll Academy placed flags on graves of service men and women in the Evergreen Cemetery.
On Memorial Day, family members and friends attended a program where Brian Locke, director of Veteran and Military Affairs at Mississippi State University, gave the keynote address at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Kilmichael.
I attended the program at the Kilmichael cemetery and later walked with my family among the tombstones, where we visited the graves of our loved ones.
As we stood among the 192 service men and women who rested there, I noticed a vast amount of land that had been set aside to welcome the many more who will join them in time.
