May 25, 2020
Celebrate Everyone’s Favorite Summer Holiday on May 25th!
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Memorial Day isn’t just about picnics, barbecues, and pool parties. Observed on the last Monday of May, this federal holiday is a time to honor our heroic men and women who died while fighting to keep us free and secure. This year, Memorial Day falls on May 25th.
Before you make your way to the beach or start grilling in your backyard, get to know these seven interesting facts about everyone’s favorite summer holiday.
- Memorial Day has no exact birthplace./nonprofits/
While Waterloo, New York was declared by President Lyndon Johnson as the “Birthday of Memorial Day” in 1966, other cities would beg to disagree, claiming that they deserve the title instead. These places had been celebrating Memorial Day earlier than New York. Up to this day, no one knows where the holiday began.
- Union General John A. Logan proclaimed it as an official holiday.
Memorial Day officially became a national holiday on May 5th, 1868, with General Logan doing the honor of codifying it. He talked about the significance of the event, telling the public that it’s a day “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.”
- It was originally called ‘Decoration Day.’
Because people would honor fallen soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers, wreaths, and flags, the holiday was first known as “Decoration Day.” The name was changed sometime in 1882, though it wasn’t until 1967 when it was officially recognized as Memorial Day.
- The day was supposed to commemorate only the soldiers who died in the Civil War.
It was only after the end of the First World War that Memorial Day became a tribute to all members of the American armed forces who died in battle.
- There’s a special way to raise the flag on this occasion.
It’s a tradition to raise the flag every Memorial Day. However, did you know that there’s a proper way to do it? You must first raise the flag quickly to the top, after which you lower it slowly to half-mast until noon, and then back again to the top.
- The U.S. President gives a speech each year.
Another Memorial Day custom is the presidential speech, which is delivered at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Days before the event, American flags would be placed in front of hundreds of thousands of graves.
- Nine states observe Confederate Memorial Day.
While people in South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, Virginia, and Alabama observe Memorial Day, they also have a special day to commemorate fallen Confederate soldiers. These nine states celebrate the occasion on different dates.
Help Make Lives Better for Our Former Troops!
Although Memorial Day is all about paying our respects to our fallen heroes, let’s not forget our other heroes who are still here with us. These are our veterans, many of whom are facing hardship due to a variety of factors, including service-connected disabilities and mental health issues, unemployment, lack of support, and homelessness.
It makes sense for us to use this day to give back to them for their invaluable service to our nation. All you have to do is make a vehicle donation to us at Veteran Car Donations. Your donation will become a source of funding for the top military and veteran nonprofit organizations that we have partnered with.
Once your vehicle enters our program, we’ll auction it off and use the proceeds to support our charity partners, allowing them to deliver vital services to more of their veteran beneficiaries and their families. These services include financial assistance, free medical treatment, employment opportunities, and family support.
While your charitable contribution will provide needy veterans and their families with the assistance they badly need, you, too, will benefit from your charitable contribution. You’ll get to enjoy our free towing service and our quick and convenient donation process where you don’t have to do any paperwork. On top of that, you’ll have the privilege of receiving a top tax deduction in the next tax season.
You can donate almost any type of vehicle whether in good condition or not. You can make such a donation anywhere in the country since we have vehicle donation programs in all 50 states.
For more information about our vehicle donation program, feel free to visit our FAQs page. If you have any questions or you want us to clarify certain things, feel free to call us anytime at 877-594-5822 or send us a message here. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Ready to Change Lives?
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It only takes several minutes of your time to bring about a lifetime of change for our hurting heroes. If you have an old automobile that you no longer use, we’ll be more than happy to take it. Donate it to us by calling 877-594-5822 or filling out our online donation form now!
Last Updated: August 23rd, 2023