Just a brief history of today. Memorial Day, originally called
Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died
in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual
beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to
being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence
that organized women's groups in the South were decorating
graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in
1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet
carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are
Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke
University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While
Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial
Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to
prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely
that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and
every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the
war dead in the 1860's tapped i