Each year on Memorial Day Americans pause to remember the fallen and honor their sacrifice.
First established as Decoration Day after the Civil War, the holiday was set aside for families and friends to visit and decorate the graves of troops lost in the conflict.
As time went on, the observance instead became known as “Memorial Day,” until 1971, when Congress declared it an official holiday set to fall annually on the last Monday in May.
According to polls, only 55% of Americans know what Memorial Day is about, and only about one in five plan to fly a flag at half-staff or attend a patriotic event on May 27.
About 27% of those surveyed thought Memorial Day honored all military veterans, 5% thought it honored those currently serving, and 3% thought the day marked the official beginning of summer.
There are 4,048 gold stars; each one represents 100 American military deaths. That means that more than 400,000 soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and military personnel lost their lives or remain missing in action in World War II. Of 16 million men and women in military service during the time, that number represents 1 death out of every 40.
“Here We Mark The Price Of Freedom” is inscribed below the Freedom Wall.
When an American went off to fight, the family often displayed in their window a flag bearing a blue star on a white field with a red border. If one of those dreaded telegrams arrived informing them of their family member’s death, they would replace the blue star with a gold one; revealing that family’s sacrifice.
Created in 1984, the Alaska Veterans Memorial is a remembrance of the men and women who have served the country over the years. “We honor their heroism and dedication,” the inscription reads in part. The main section of the memorial is a semicircle of individual stones for the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Each stone is a concrete panel 20 feet high.
The Anthem Veterans Memorial casts brilliant solar spotlight at exactly 11:11 am on Veteran’s Day, every year.
The five marble pillars represent the five branches of the United States military. They are staggered in size (from 17 ft to 6 ft) and ordered in accordance with the Department of Defense prescribed precedence, ranging from the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force and the United States Coast Guard.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (commonly referred to as The Wall), which has become one of the most visited memorials in Washington, D.C. with an estimated 5.6 million annual visitors.
At the dedication in 1982, there were 57,939 names inscribed on the Memorial. As of Memorial Day 2017, there are 58,318 names. These are names of military personnel who were wounded in Vietnam between 1957 and 1975 and ultimately died of their wounds.
Considered one of the most unique veterans memorials in America. The only memorial that honors veterans, living or deceased, from the revolutionary war to the current war on terror, with an image of the veteran on the wall.
19 stainless steel statues, each larger than life-size, between 7 feet 3 inches and 7 feet 6 inches tall, each weighs nearly 1,000 pounds. The figures represent a platoon on patrol, drawn from each branch of the armed forces Fourteen of the figures are from the U.S. Army, three are from the Marine Corps, one is a Navy Corpsman, and one is an Air Force Forward Air Observer. They are dressed in full combat gear, dispersed among strips of granite and juniper bushes which represent the rugged terrain of Korea.
The monument honors all U.S. soldiers. A platoon of cast bronze boots is positioned as though marching. A solitary pair of boots is stationed at the foot of a POW/MIA flag where an eternal flame burns.
A laser etched continuous wall mural stretching 20 feet in length and 5 feet high. Panels tell the story of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.
A second monument is a 9-foot tall, 6-sided monolith spelling out the stories of each branch.
The USS Arizona Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941,
After the Arizona was bombed by Japanese Naval Forces, the loss of life represents over half of the Americans killed during as well as the worst naval disaster in American history.
“In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775.”
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial represents this nation’s gratitude to Marines and those who have fought beside them. While the statue depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II, the memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in defense of the United States since 1775.
Thirty-two foot high figures are shown raising a 60-foot bronze flagpole. The flag flies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by presidential proclamation.
The names and dates of every principal Marine Corps engagement since the founding of the Corps form a gold ring around the base.
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