Insights for Expats: Memorial Day
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Monday we celebrate the holiday set aside to honor those who died fighting in America’s wars. It was first established as Decoration Day during and after our Civil War, a conflict that claimed 620,000 lives in the North and South.
May 30 was chosen for remembrance because it was a peaceful day – not the anniversary of any battle. We should recall the impetus for such a day of remembrance.
In 1861, at the outbreak of war between North and South, our nation’s population was only 30 million. If we experienced casualties today at the rate we did in our Civil War, there would be 6 million American dead.
So you can imagine the crushing weight of grief and the impact on society of such carnage. Decoration Day became Memorial Day in many places over the decades. After World War II, May 30 became Memorial Day all over the nation.
By law it was moved officially in 1967 to the last Monday in May to make a long holiday weekend, and symbolic beginning of summer.
So nations learn how to cope, and how to honor those who sacrificed so greatly. Our Memorial Day growing up was our most solemn and moving celebration, especially with nearly all the men in town having served in World War II.
Taps and prayers at the cemetery, decorations on graves of the fallen, comforting of those who felt the sting of loss – these helped us heal and move on without forgetting.
History provides the perspective we need to carry lessons with us, and pass them on to our children. But Memorial Day is not merely a history lesson; it is a life lesson. Wars take a terrible toll.
We should honor all of our veterans, who remember those that died as fellow soldiers in the crucible of battle.
About Dwellworks
Dwellworks is the world’s largest provider of destination-related services and temporary living solutions for the globally mobile workforce and business travelers. We provide business-to-business solutions for Fortune 1000 and emerging companies directly and through their relocation management partners. Whether a company needs to relocate its employees across the country or around the world, we provide a range of support services to help employees and their families transition successfully from their home location to a new destination.
Dwellworks supports the diversity of our clients’ globally mobile workforce with personalized destination solutions in 16 countries, covering hundreds of major relocation markets. Dwellworks Living, our global furnished temporary living solution, offers corporate housing accommodations for relocation and business travel customers in 125 countries. Our full-service real estate brokerage, Station Cities, supports home rentals, sales, and purchases in the Tri-State New York area and Chicago. Visit our homepage, learn about our services, and read our blogs to learn how we can help with your relocation and business travel needs.