LOCAL MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS
These are among the Memorial Day events scheduled in the Chattanooga area:
When: 10:30 a.m. EDT
Where: Bradley County Courthouse, Ocoee Street, downtown Cleveland
What: City/County Memorial Day program
When: 11 a.m. EDT
Where: Chattanooga National Cemetery
What: Chattanooga Area Veterans Council Memorial Day program
When: 11 a.m. EDT
Where: Trenton, Ga., Veterans Park on the Courthouse square
What: American Legion Post 106 Memorial Day program
When: 10 a.m. CDT
Where: Monteagle Cemetery Pavilion, Monteagle, Tenn.
What: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9586 Memorial Day program
When: Noon-8 p.m. EDT
Where: Lake Winnepesaukah, 1730 Lake View Drive, Rossville, Ga.
What: Free admission and unlimited rides at Lake Winnepesaukah for military personnel, active and retired with valid military ID.
When: 1 p.m. EDT
Where: East Ridge City Hall, 1510 Tombras Ave.
What: American Legion Post 95 Memorial Day program
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Monday marks the 144th observance of Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day.
The national day of remembrance began as a call to decorate the graves of troops on May 30, 1868, by Maj. Gen. Johan A. Logan. The first major observance took place at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Local observances honoring Civil War dead had begun at least two years earlier in Columbus, Miss.
By the end of the 19th century, Decoration Day observances were being held throughout the nation.
The day remained a Civil War observance until after World War I, when the day was expanded to include all war dead. Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday in 1971, then voted "The National Moment of Remembrance Act" into law in 2000.
The law encourages Americans to pause at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day for a moment of silence to remember those who have died in service to the nation.
Get breaking news from the Times Free Press on Twitter at www.twitter.com/timesfreepress or by visiting us on Facebook or Twitter at the right:
