Salute to Veterans

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

On our Nation’s 250th Birthday, The Salute to Veterans Series would like to salute and thank all of our nation’s veterans, active duty Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guard, Guardians and National Guard, for your service to a grateful nation.

The Continental Congress formally adopted and signed The Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA. In 1870, Congress made July 4th a federal holiday. In 1941, the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees.

On July 2nd, 1776 in a near-unanimous vote 12 of the 13 colonies voted in favor of independence from England. The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, with fellow committee members John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, William Livingston and Roger Sherman.

On this Memorial Day, the Salute to Veterans Series would like to thank all of our military service men and women, and their families, for their service and sacrifice to a free and grateful nation.

Decoration Day, officially recognized today as Memorial Day, provides an opportunity for all Americans to pause, remember and reflect – in honor of those who have died in military service to the nation.

General Logan declared “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”

Approximately 155 years ago, a decree was issued on May 5th, 1868 by General John A. Logan marking May 30th as Decoration Day. Established several years after the end of the Civil War, Decoration Day was a time for Americans to lay flowers and decorate graves of the war dead.

In tribute to Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor our fallen countrymen and all Americans who defended, and continue to defend our freedom. Our heartfelt thanks to all of our military service men and women who protect the many freedoms we enjoy every day.

A moment of silence is observed each year on December 7th at 7:55 am, the exact moment the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began.