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When Decoration Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, three years after the US Civil War ended, it was a day to honor all military personnel who had died during that war. The graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington National Cemetery were decorated with flowers hence the name Decoration Day. After World War I it became a day to honor the memory of those who had died during all wars in which the United States had been involved and it generally became known as Memorial Day. But it wasn't until 1967 that it was officially renamed as Memorial Day.

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12y ago

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