The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men. – Minot J. Savage

Every year, at the end of May, we take a day to honor those who have died for our country.

Memorial Day is more than backyard barbecues – it’s a time to reflect and remember the approximately 1.3 million soldiers, not including those missing in action or wounded, who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

Around the nation, we pay tribute to these brave men and women, with parades, dedications and services at monuments and memorials such as  Arlington National Ceremony and the Tomb of the Unknowns – a monument dedicated to all of the U.S. soldiers who died in the wars that were never identified.

Arlington National Cemetery has special historical significance on this day. The first large-scale observance of Memorial Day (then called Decoration Day) took place at the cemetery in 1868, in remembrance of all who died in the Civil War.