Tags: I see it this way! Heritage Shores Bridgville De E.W. Faircloth photography photographer education war civil war soldiers history Memorial Day Decoration Day

Panasonic emailed me with a Memorial Day Sale promotion.They picked the right veteran, as I'm not offended at all by folks using Memorial Day to sale stuff.In fact, I'm grateful because I did a quick search to discover the origins of Memorial Day."Memorial Day started off as a somber day of remembrance; a day when Americans went to cemeteries and placed flags or flowers on the graves of our war dead. It was a day to remember ancestors, family members, and loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice." -- from http://www.usmemorialday.orgEverybody knows that!Well, did you know Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America, which existed during  The Civil War?  Yes, the holiday had its roots in the USA Civil War.On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). -- usmemorialday.orgBecause of the Panasonic promotion, I discovered more USA soldiers died in the Civil War than they did in all the other wars since combined. That includes World Wars I & II, Korean, Vietnam, and etc.Thank you, Panasonic!