Memorial Day History, How Malden Remembers: 5 Things To Know

MALDEN, MA — Memorial Day is a holiday that people in Malden and across America look forward to every year as the start of summer.

But it also gives the country a chance to look back, as the final Monday in May is a day to remember all American lives lost during military service.

Here are five things to know about the history of Memorial Day:

1. It Was Originally Called Decoration Day: Remembering veterans who died while in military service in late May dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. Logan called it “Decoration Day,” which it was known as for several years. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, History.com reported, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

2. Local Services: Two newly installed bronze statues honoring Malden veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars will be unveiled on Memorial Day. The life-sized bronze statues sit alongside the granite monuments honoring Malden's fallen heroes that were formerly located at the Linden Delta.

The unveiling ceremony will be held May 31 from 6-8 p.m. Face coverings are required and attendees are encouraged to stay socially distant. The event, which will feature a performance by a U.S. Marine Corps band, will be livestreamed on Comcast Channel 22, Verizon Channel 26 or MATV's YouTube channel.

The Korean War Memorial was originally dedicated on the Linden Victory Delta and re-dedicated in 2013. It contains the names of 17 Malden veterans who died during the war. Over the three-year period of the war, 36,574 Americans died in hostile action and 103,284 were wounded. Among the casualties were 8,200 Americans listed as missing in action or lost or buried at sea.

The Vietnam War Memorial was also dedicated on the Linden Victory Delta and re-dedicated in 2013. It contains the names of 19 Malden veterans who died during the conflict. More than 3 million people – including over 58,000 Americans – were killed, and opposition to the war bitterly divided the country.

Veterans Services Director Kevin Jarvis is requesting that the families of Malden Veterans who died during the Korean and Vietnam Wars contact him so the city may acknowledge them on Memorial Day. Jarvis can be reached at kjarvis@cityofmalden.org or at 781-397-7139.

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3. Birthplace Of Memorial Day: The Memorial Day holiday tradition in Waterloo, New York, dates back even longer than Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Waterloo first celebrated on May 5, 1866, as local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags, according to History.com.

"The people of Waterloo are justly proud of this outstanding event in the history of their community," then-New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller said in 1966, when the federal government recognized the upstate village about midway between Rochester and Syracuse as the “birthplace of Memorial Day.”

Although its event is canceled for the second consecutive year due to the coronavirus, Waterloo holds a yearly two-day celebration — complete with a car show, Civil War memorial and 5K races — as a nod to the village’s rich connection to the holiday’s history.

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4. A Civil War Holiday At First: Until World War I, Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as noted above, was only meant to honor those who died while fighting for the union in the Civil War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the holiday took on a new role to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

5. National Moment Of Remembrance: Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. The midday time was chosen “because it is the time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.