Memorial Day remains a time for reflection and gratitude

The man behind Memorial Day

Photo by EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty ImagesMost of us don’t think much about Memorial Day as anything other than the unofficial beginning of summer, but the holiday originates in a commemoration of the Union war dead in the wake of the Civil War. “Decoration Day” commemorations — when communities would come together to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers — began as a somewhat grassroots movement almost immediately after the war. But in writing …

Memorial Day remains a time for reflection and gratitude

The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com. Memorial Day has long been a day of mourning. Turning grim Civil War battle experiences into something lasting and inspiring, Gen. John Alexander Logan set aside May 30, 1868, “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of …