1918

In 1918, Memorial Day services across the nation were held mostly to honor the Civil War veterans who fought for the preservation of the Union. Fifty-three years had passed since the end of the Civil War.

In 1917, Memorial Day took on new meaning as America entered the Great War.

So in 1918, while those who gathered at the Memorial Day celebrations honoring the men of the Civil War, their minds also wandered to those missing from home who were now fighting for freedom on a global scale. Memorial Day was a day of prayer not only for those of the Civil War, but also for those fighting and dying in the “War to End All Wars.”