ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Here are 10 fast facts about Memorial Day, a holiday honoring
American soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country:
• Even though numerous communities had been independently celebrating Memorial
Day for years,
the
federal government declared Waterloo, N.Y. the
official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo first celebrated the holiday on
May 5, 1866.
•
President
Bill Clinton signed the
National Moment of Remembrance Act on Dec. 28, 2000, designating 3 p.m. local
time on Memorial Day as a
National
Moment of Remembrance.
• Even though Memorial Day began as a holiday honoring Union soldiers,
some
states still have Confederate observances. Mississippi celebrates
Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth
Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on
May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration
Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day on Jan. 19 and Virginia calls the
last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day.
Civil War: Approximately
620,000 Americans died. The Union lost almost 365,000 troops and the Confederacy
about 260,000. More than half of these deaths were caused by disease.
World War I: 116,516
Americans died, more than half from disease.
World War II: 405,399
Americans died.
Korean War: 36,574
Americans died.
Vietnam Conflict: 58,220
Americans died. More than 47,000 Americans were killed in action and nearly
11,000 died of other causes.
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm: 148
U.S. battle deaths and 145 non-battle deaths.
Operation Iraqi Freedom: 4,422
U.S. service members died.
Operation New Dawn: 66
U.S. service members died.
Operation Enduring Freedom: 2,318
U.S. service members have died as of May 12, 2014.