On May 26th we observe Memorial Day to honor the soldiers who have died while serving in the United States Military.
In 1868, following the Civil War, many citizens across the nation began honoring those who had given their lives in service of their country. Among them was Henry Welles, a drugstore owner in Waterloo, New York, who introduced a local day of remembrance on May 5th. Hearing about this and other similar commemorations around the nation, General Jonathan Logan established May 30th as the official day of observance known as Decoration Day. This day was meant to be a day of reconciliation, memorializing fallen soldiers by decorating the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1882 this day was renamed as Memorial Day to honor soldiers who had died in all previous wars, and in 1971 it became a national holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May each year.
Today we pay tribute through moments of silence, parades and local tributes, decorating the graves of soldiers, and gathering with friends and family to reflect on the sacrifices these servicepeople have made. The President or Vice President of the United States also gives a speech to the nation, laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns, the monument located in Arlington National Cemetery dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified.
Learn more about the history of Memorial Day, contributions of the men and women in our armed forces, and how local community members are keeping stories of service alive with the resources below.
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Activities, Crafts & More
Sesame Street for Military Families
Grades PreK-3
Explore military parenting advice and tips to find information on self-expression, positive parenting, and answers to common concerns of military families with Sesame Street for Military Families. Using this free, bilingual (English and Spanish) website, families can download apps, printable activity pages for children, and play online games together to help share your thoughts and feelings.
Learn About Service Members Throughout History
Path of Honor: Wind River Veterans Memorial | Wyoming’s Native Americans
Grades 3-8
Learn about the historical memorial site that was created in 2021 to honor ALL the veterans who lived or have lived on the Wind River Reservation, the reason it was designed the way it was, and how the two local tribes teach the younger generation.
Ken Burns in the Classroom | The Civil War
Grades 6-12
Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films for more than forty years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students, and introduce new ideas, perspectives, and primary sources. In The Civil War, Burns asks, “Who are we Americans as a people?” Learn about the deadliest military conflict in American history with The Civil War collection on PBS LearningMedia.
Local Stories of Service: Veterans Coming Home
Veterans Coming Home is an innovative cross-platform public media campaign that bridges America’s military-civilian divide by telling stories, challenging stereotypes and exploring how the values of service and citizenship are powerful connectors for all Americans.
Mountain Lake PBS is a partner station in this national initiative by public media stations around the country. Watch our entire Veterans Coming Home series online, anytime.
Reviving History
In honor of Memorial Day, our Veterans Coming Home Series Producer Michael Hansen has the story of an Army Veteran who on a visit to a cemetery found a gravesite almost entirely overgrown with sod & moss. When he peeled it back, he discovered it was a veteran’s marker. That’s how Carl Benware’s mission, and his project called “Remembering Our Heroes” began. Carl and an army of volunteers now work to restore the gravesites of hundreds of veterans in the North Country.
Sailor Honored in Malone
Jack LaDuke has the the story of a local veteran recently honored more than 50 years after losing his life in the worst naval disaster in U.S. history. Steve Cayey from Malone, New York, was among the 129 sailors who died in the sinking of the USS Thresher submarine, off the coast of Cape Cod in the Atlantic Ocean on April 10, 1963.
A New Film Explores the Story of a Local Soldier Who Never Came Home
When I Come Home tells the story of a young marine from Mineville, New York, who died in Vietnam. The documentary also reveals the unusual memorial his friends and neighbors have preserved for 50-years in his honor. Marcus Stoddard left a can of beer at the garage in Port Henry where he worked as a mechanic, saying he would drink it when he returned home from the war. Marcus was killed in action two months after arriving in Vietnam, at the age of 19. Filmmakers Tom Henry and Bill Killon join us to talk about the documentary that focuses on Marcus’s story, as well as the sacrifice made by 4 other young servicemen, from neighboring communities, who died while serving in Vietnam.