SALEM – Each year on Memorial Day, Americans pay honor to all of those who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.  In recognition of the holiday’s rich history, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs is announcing the Memorial Day celebrations occurring statewide of which the agency has been made aware.
 
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868 as a day in which the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers would be decorated with flowers. 
 
The holiday’s name was later changed to Memorial Day.  In 1971, it became a federal holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May. 
 
The ODVA will host a memorial ceremony on Monday, May 31, at 3 p.m. on the department’s grounds in Salem, 700 Summer St. N.E.  The ceremony will honor four fallen Oregon service members who died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their names will be inscribed on a granite wall.
 
Statewide event locations and information is available online:  http://www.oregon.gov/ODVA/memorial_day_events_2010.shtml