Art by Whitney Potter: Memorial Day 2025

“That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.”
– Brevet Lieut.-Col. Edmund B. Whitman, 1868

Memorial Day, a federal holiday held the last Monday in May, is the nation's foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased service men and women.

Originally called Decoration Day, it was formalized by a "Memorial Day Order" issued by Grand Army of the Republic Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan in 1868.

The modern proclamation calls on Americans "to observe Memorial Day by praying, according to their individual religious faith, for permanent peace."

--U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs