Memorial Day History
Memorial Monuments
U.S. Military 101
Traditions
Movies Quotes
100
How Memorial Day was originally called.
Decoration Day
100
No one knows for sure who is the American soldier that rests under it.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Arlington, Virginia
100
Responsible for our military operations.
The Department of Defense
100
Nation’s largest Memorial Day event, drawing hundreds of thousands of people.
The National Memorial Day Parade - Washington, DC
100
"I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. And the enemy... was in us."
Platoon (1986)
200
When Americans FIRST started celebrating Memorial Day.
May 30, 1868
200
As of May 2018, 58,320 names are list here.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Washington, DC
200
The headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense.
The Pentagon
200
Worn in remembrance of those fallen in war.
Red Poppy
200
"I just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel."
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
300
Where the first Memorial Day celebration took place.
Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, Virginia
300
One of the earliest monuments erected to honor the soldiers who perished in World War I.
Liberty World War I Memorial in Missouri
300
The five military branches.
Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard
300
818 are consumed every second on Memorial Day.
Hot Dogs
300
"The Army was real easy. You just have to stand up straight, make your bed real neat, and always answer every question with - Yes, Drill Seargent!"
Forest Gump
400
What ritual took place on the first Memorial Day that started what's is today a tradition.
The placing of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the decoration of each grave with a small American flag.
400
9 historic locations in 3 of the western United States - California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
400
1947 act that established the present U.S. military organizational structure.
National Security Act
400
Remind people of the sacrifice of the 83,000 Americans missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War.
The POW/MIA flag
400
“A brilliant man will find a way not to fight a war.”
Pearl Harbor (2001)
500
Oficial time on Memorial Day when Americans stop what they are doing and remember the servicemen and women who died defending their country.
3:00 PM local time
(Known as the Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance.)
500
Largest of the war memorials in Washington, DC.
National World War II Memorial
500
The largest military base in the United States based on population.
Fort Bragg
Note: Located west of Fayetteville in North Carolina, is the base is home to the 82nd Airborne.
500
This action memorializes servicemen and women in the morning and honors living veterans in the afternoon.
On Memorial Day, the U.S. flag flies at half-staff for the first half of the day and is raised to full height from noon to sundown.
500
"Pain is your friend, your ally, it will tell you when you are seriously injured, it will keep you awake and angry, and remind you to finish the job and get the hell home. But you know the best thing about pain?... It lets you know you're not dead yet!"
G.I. Jane