Memorial and Flag Day/Vanessa Sch.

Memorial Day and

Structure

1. Memorial Day

2. Flag Day

Memorial Day

• emerged in the years after the Civil War
• from 1861 till 1865 the bloodiest War in US history
• first known as "decoration day".
• In 1868 Logan requested that the 30th may created as national memorial day for soldiers (who were killed in the civil war)
• first dacoration day 30th may 1948 at Arlington National Cemetery
• 1968 the US Congress passed "Uniform Monday Holiday Act" make Memorial Day a national holiday

• every last monday in may
• 3p.m. there is a national minute of silence in the respective (=jeweiligen) time zone
• US flags are flown at half-staff, graves are decorated and a small US flag is placed on each grave

coins on the tombstones:

• penny = someone has visited the grave
• Nickel = someone who was in boot camp with the deceased
• Dime = a comrade who served with the totem
• Quarter = if they only were present at the death of the buried

• Former and active soldiers as well as sports clubs, etc. march here, sit in decorated carriages, vintage cars or march on foot
• they place flowers and other stuff on the tombstones
• wear red poppies in memory of the soldiers who died
• poppy bloomed on battlefields in belgium and france, they wear it as kind of symbol

Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Parade:.

• thousands of bikers coming in capitel to commemorate veterans and deceased (=toten)
• organization is committed (=ist verpflichet) to supporting and educating (=Aufklärung) the soldiers who are still missing

Flag Day

• goes back to 14th june 1777, replaced the british union jack

• 100 years later it was hoisted on all buildings for the first time

• first time in 1893, in new york it was founded on 14th june 1897

• official flag day was represented by president harry truman in 1949 

• before 1949, every state could celebrate flag day whenever it wanted

• 13 stripes for 13 founding states and the 50 stars represent 50 federal states
• blue, white and red for the past, the present and the future of america
• the flag should be symbol of the freedom and unity
• unlike in germany, hoisting the flag is part of everyday life in many places anyway

• only pennsylvania it's a public holiday, the first flag sewn by betsy ross
• other states, banks, authorities and shops are open as normal
• streets and buildings are decorated in the national colors and in addition, the hoisting of the flag is honored
• commemorations are rarely held
• the festivities are nevertheless very different

https://www.usa-reisetraum.de/reiseservice/feiertage/flag-.day/