For some, Memorial Day is just another paid holiday.  It’s a day to open the pools or head to the beaches.  A day to visit family and crank up the grill, pull out the beer and toss on the burgers.  A day for massive store-wide sales and great deals on used automobiles.  And, above all, it’s an excellent excuse for a three-day weekend to bring on the beginning of summer.

However, Memorial Day exists for a very solemn reason.  It was enacted to remind us all, as a nation, of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.  In every war, on every continent, in every occurrence that an American soldier has given their life for the protection of their kin and country, this is their day of recognition, their day of remembrance and honor.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it has always been a day of tribute to those fallen during service.  Beginning shortly after the Civil War, May 30th was designated as the official day for decorating the graves of our nation’s fallen soldiers from the War Between the States with flowers for remembrance.  The day of May 30th was chosen because, at the time, it was a day free from any historical battle or skirmish, a solemn and peaceful day in our nation’s young history.

Quickly accepted across the northern states after the Civil War, the south did not officially recognize the holiday until after World War I, when it became a day of remembrance for all soldiers who had died fighting for the United States in any war.  The National Holiday Act of 1971 rescheduled the day for the last Monday in May, ensuring a three day weekend for Federal holidays.

All across the nation, parades and observation events are held.  Veterans march with rank and medals, and the graves of the fallen are decorated with flags and flowers.  Poppy’s, the traditional flower of Memorial Day since 1924, are sold and displayed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  And a National Moment of Remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time, a moment to reflect on national unity, and the price our country has paid for our freedoms.

So, this Memorial Day, before you fire up the grill or leap into the pool or kick back in that shady hammock, spare a thought for those who made it possible.  Those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for your freedoms and liberties.  For, without them, there would be nothing to celebrate.