To the Editor:

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is Monday, May 25. On behalf of the Village of Canton Board of Trustees, we encourage you to join us in taking time to remember and honor our fallen soldiers.

According to www.usmemorialday.org: "Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30,1868, 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). 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 now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971."

Be it a moment of silence at 3 p.m. on May 25, attending a parade, decorating a gravestone, wearing a poppy, or spending time with others at a picnic, this is a day to show our gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice protecting our freedoms. Sincere appreciation is extended to the Canton Veterans of Foreign Wars for sponsoring and coordinating the parade at 10 a.m. followed by a ceremony in the village park. We salute them for the invaluable support they provide for our servicewomen, servicemen, families and friends.

Mary Ann Ashley

Canton Mayor