By: Joseph Rios
By the end of the Civil War, many Americans throughout the country began to host springtime tributes to soldiers who died during the conflict.
According to a calculation from Binghamton University in New York, around 750,000 Americans died during the Civil War. The conflict took more lives than any other war in American history, and because of the high death toll, the country’s first national cemeteries began to sprout in the 1860s.
There is evidence that a group of formerly enslaved Americans in South Carolina began celebrating Memorial Day shortly after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865. But in 1966, the federal government declared that the holiday began in Waterloo, New York where Memorial Day was celebrated on May 5, 1866. On that date, businesses closed in the city while some Americans took the day to decorate the graves of soldiers.
In 1868, General John A. Logan, who led an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, declared that May 30 would be designated for decorating graves of those who died during war. The “Decoration Day” would eventually be celebrated throughout the country and slowly became known as Memorial Day.
The holiday was celebrated every May 30 until 1968 when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which acknowledged that Memorial Day would fall on the last Monday in May. The act paved the way for Memorial Day to be declared a federal holiday.
While Memorial Day weekend is a great time to unwind and spend time with family and friends, it’s also an important reminder to remember those who have passed during war. Since the Revolutionary War, more than 1.1 million Americans have been killed in wars, according to estimates from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Throughout the holiday, which happens to fall on May 30 this year, many national cemeteries will be hosting tribute services in honor of those who have passed due to war along with other Memorial Day events.
In Fort Lupton, a flyover, presentation of the colors, speakers and more will be at Hillside Cemetery on May 30 at 9 a.m. Hillside Cemetery is located at 13750 Country Road.
Commerce City is welcoming back its annual Memorial Day Parade for the first time in two years. Each year, the city hosts a Memorial Day Ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park to remember those who have given their lives in services.
After the ceremony, the parade commences. The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. on Memorial Day at East 64th Ave. and Newport St. and ends at East 60th Avenue and Colorado Ave.
Food trucks will be on deck along with booths from veterans’ service organizations, city boards and commissions, and more, according to the city.
In Aurora, the city and the Colorado Freedom Memorial Foundation will host “Colorado Remembers,” which will feature a free-will donation pancake breakfast, military artifacts and entertainment. The breakfast starts at 8 a.m. on May 30 with a remembrance ceremony taking place at 10 a.m. Colorado Remembers will take place at 756 Telluride St.
