Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was conceived by
General John A. Logan, left, the National Commander of the U.S.
Army. The first Memorial Day celebration was observed on May 30,
1868, to honor those who had served in the U.S. military.
It wasn't until almost 100 years later that Memorial Day was officially
recognized by Congress as a National holiday under the National Holiday Act of 1971, to be celebrated on the last Monday of May.
1865 - General John A. Rawlins with his wife and child
at General Grant's headquarters in City Point, Virginia.
Class of 1894 - U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md
1897 - below deck on the U.S.S. Brooklyn
1916 - Mrs. George (Lelia) Gordon with her son,
Basil Gordon, in Washington, D.C.
Homecoming - end of World War I
1925 - Sgt. Jiggs with a U.S. Marine. Sgt. Jiggs was the mascot
for the U.S. Marine Corps and was made an official Marine.
1930 - General Douglas MacArthur
1942 - Eloise J. Ellis was appointed the Senior Supervisor in the
Assembly and Repairs Department at the U.S. Naval Air Base in
Corpus Christi, Texas.
1943 - making a photo to send back home
1968 - A radioman above a U.S. Navy hospital ship off DaNang, Vietnam
Young Marines in Afghanistan, 2010
Thank you to all who have served - past and present.
