Memorial Day is here with its cookouts, pool parties and furniture sales. Have you noticed all of the businesses taking advantage of a holiday to make a buck? Is it wrong for them to do so? How do you feel about businesses that attempt to profit off of such a holiday?

Before we even start, I want to be clear, I am the owner of a small real estate business that lists and sells homes, while also teaching and training real estate agents across the country. I sent out post cards this past week to our “geographic farm,” basically our neighborhood of over 600 homes. On that post card was a “Thank you to those who gave all,” and a link to the neighborhood Facebook page so people could learn about the Memorial Day events in town.

Is it okay to advertise on Memorial Day? I think it is if it is done tastefully. Business owners must carefully consider how they approach these types of holidays.

The Wake Forest, North Carolina Veterans Memorial Service is held every Memorial Day at 11am at the Veterans Memorial in Heritage.

Every year on the final Monday in May, the United States celebrates Memorial Day as a federal holiday. The heroic men and women who lost their lives while serving in the American military are commemorated on this day. The origins of Memorial Day can be traced to the years immediately following the American Civil War. The history of Memorial Day in the United States and its development over time will be discussed in this article.

Memorial Day’s beginnings can be found in the years immediately following the American Civil War. Between 1861 and 1865, the war raged, wreaking havoc on the nation. By the time the conflict was over, more than 620,000 soldiers had perished, or around 2% of the total population. It was therefore very evident that something had to be done to honor the valor and sacrifices of those troops who had perished in war.

A day of commemoration to memorialize fallen soldiers was suggested in 1868 by General John A. Logan, a former general of the Union Army who later became a senator. Originally known as Decoration Day, this day was established as a time when Americans would place flowers on the graves of Civil War troops. On May 30, 1868, the inaugural Decoration Day was commemorated, and both the North and the South enthusiastically embraced it.

Following the inaugural Decoration Day, the celebration gradually grew in popularity across the nation. The day evolved into a day to honor all dead soldiers, not only those who lost their lives during the Civil War, as new wars sprung out following the Civil War. “Decoration Day” became “Memorial Day” in 1882, and it was declared a federal holiday in 1971.

After World War I, the holiday underwent much more modification. With the outbreak of that conflict, Memorial Day evolved into a day dedicated to remembering and honoring all Americans who lost their lives while fighting in any of the nation’s wars. Since then, it has become customary to pay tribute to dead troops by laying flowers at their graves, including roses, lilies, and poppies, as a token of appreciation for their services.

Me and my good friend, Colonel Rich Heroux at the Wake Forest Veterans Memorial ceremony in Wake Forest, NC.

Memorial Day is now widely observed in the United States with a variety of activities. Parades, memorial services, flag-raising rituals, and other commemorative events fall under this category.

The “National Moment of Remembrance” is one well-known custom that takes place on Memorial Day at 3 p.m. local time across the nation. Americans are urged to observe a minute of silence in remembrance of the warriors who gave their lives in the line of duty.

Here in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where I live, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Daughters of the America Revolution come together to do a ceremony at the Wake Forest Veterans Memorial at 11am every year on Memorial Day. This event normally draws over 300 people.

The Wake Forest Veterans Memorial was built with the help of Randy and Jill Bright, owners of Bright Funeral Home in Wake Forest, and excellent community ambassadors. They funded the construction and built the wall at the sight and continue to maintain it to this day.

Memorial Day is also a time for families to come together and honor loved ones who have spent their lives serving in the military. Many visit cemeteries and memorials to place flowers and flags on their graves. Others attend official ceremonies and participate in parades of remembrance to honor those who have served and given their lives for the country.

Memorial Day has a long and fascinating history that is tied to the sacrifices made by men and women in the military throughout the history of the United States. From its origins as a day to remember the fallen heroes of the Civil War to its current breadth of service, Memorial Day remains an important day to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and defended American freedom. It is important for us all to take a moment each year on the last Monday of May and remember those who have fought and died for our country and continue to work towards a better world that they worked hard to establish.