Thank a Veteran this Memorial Day

Memorial Day is set aside each year to honor the fallen, those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice during times of war. Seneca Mayor Dan Alexander encourages residents to remember the fallen today and thank a veteran for their service and sacrifice to this country. “Celebrate Memorial Day and what the true meaning is an opportunity for us to thank our veterans and their families for their service that they have done for this great country, so we can enjoy the freedom that we have today.” According to the U.S. Department for Veterans Affairs, three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.