Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who died in service to their country. The holiday was officially proclaimed in 1868 to honor Union and Confederate soldiers and was expanded after World War I to honor those who died in all wars. It became an official federal holiday in 1971, known as Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day. Today, Memorial Day honors the men and women who have died in military service since the Civil War began in 1861.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over one million individuals have died in service to our country:
• Civil War (1861-1865): 3.3 million served, approx. 500,000 died
• Spanish-American War (1898-1902): 306,760 served, approx. 2,446 died
• World War I (1917-1918): 4.7 million served, 116,516 died (last veteran of WWI died in 2011)
• World War II (1941-1945): 16.1 million served, 405,399 died
• Korean War (1950-1953): 5.7 million served, 54,246 died
• Vietnam (1964-1975): 8.7 million served, 90,220 died
• Gulf War (1990-1991): 5.6 million served, 13,104 died (includes active duty, Reserves, and Guard)
• Post 9/11 War on Terror (2001-present): 6 million served, 14,501 died (includes deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq)
There are currently about 1.3 million active duty service members in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces as of May 2020. There are 19.2 million living veterans from all wars, according to the Department of Defense, with only about 168,000 World War II vets, and 1.1 million Korean War veterans still among us.
American Legion Post #34 will hold a Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 30 from noon-5 p.m. at the post, 2210 E. 54th St. There will be food, live music, a ceremony, flag retirement, and taps will be played. There is no cost to attend the service.
Elsewhere in Indianapolis, Crown Hill Cemetery will hold its 152nd ceremony at 2 p.m. at the cemetery, 200 W. 38th St. The public is invited to attend a concert at 1:30 p.m. with the Indiana Army National Guard’s 38th Division Band, followed by a keynote speaker and ceremony honoring those lost to war. There will be walking tours before and after the ceremony.
As a federal holiday, federal, state and local government offices will be closed. There will be no postal service and trash pickup will operate on a sliding schedule (Monday’s trash will be picked up Tuesday, Tuesday on Wednesday, etc.).
The Weekly View office will be closed on Memorial Day.
