As Americans across the country and around the state gear up for Memorial Day this year, advocates and agencies offer advice on how to celebrate the holiday safely.
While not recognized as Memorial Day until 1971, the traditional national day of remembrance once called Decoration Day first took root in the years following the Civil War, which claimed the lives of an estimated 750,000 soldiers and an untold number of civilians.
Once celebrated every May 30, today the holiday is commemorated on the last Monday of May and is officially observed with the laying of flowers and wreaths at the graves of those who died in combat; and with the display of American flags, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
