Memorial Day and a chance to win a book.

Note: Leave me a comment and you could win your choice of the books listed below

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead".

While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

 Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states.

The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

You all know I’m in love with Texas and, as Willie Nelson sang, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys. They are also SEALs, members of Delta Force, Force Recon Marines and hot shot pilots. The history of the military in Texas goes as far back at the Texas Revolution and the heroes who dies at the Alamo. I cry every time I see this on a memorial that stands at Alamo Plaza:

OLDEST MILITIA UNIT IN TEXAS

The fought from the Texas Revolution through World War II

To the men who dies at The Alamo:

All Texans acclaim both in song and in story

The days of your youth and the days of your glory

And they also remember wherever they go

The men left behind at some far Alamo

Please help me honor all of our military, who give so much so that we can be safe.

And check out my military heroes:

Ride the Mustang

Jungle Inferno

Extrasensory

Delicious Danger

F Stop

Feel the Heat

Unconditional Surrender

Lock and Load

Attack Force

Coyote Heat

And check me out here:

www.desireeholt.com

www.desiremeonly.com

www.facebook.com/desireeholtauthor

Twitter @desireeholt

Pinterest: desiree02holt

Also on LinkedIn and Google+