Americans Celebrate Memorial Day

Americans Celebrate Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a national holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday in May. This year, Memorial Day falls on May 30.

It is a day when Americans honor¹ the men and women who have died fighting in America's wars. For most Americans, it also marks the unofficial start of summer. It is a popular weekend for vacationing.

Even with rising gas prices, the American Automobile² Association³ expects as many as 39 million Americans to travel this year for Memorial Day weekend. Many will head to the nearest bodies of water or beaches.

In the American state of Delaware, people often call the beach town of Rehoboth "The Nation's Summer Capital." Many people who live in Washington, D.C., the nation's actual capital, spend time along their beaches. The town also happens to be a favorite summer getaway spot for U.S. President Joe Biden, who is from Delaware.

This week, officials in Rehoboth and the nearby towns of Lewes, Dewey, and Bethany have had to do a lot to help repair the summer capital and prepare for visitors. Just days before Memorial Day, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, DNREC, was still working to repair beaches that were damaged by strong storms in early May.

Secretary Shawn M. Garvin of the DNREC said, "We're working on making the state's beaches accessible and in shape for the summer."

Memorial Day tradition

Back in the nation's capital, Memorial Day traditions include the observance at Arlington National Cemetery⁴. It is the most famous burial place in America. Before the pandemic, more than 4 million people visited the cemetery every year.

The tradition began on May 30th, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves⁵ of Union and Confederate soldiers in the cemetery. It was called Decoration Day back then.

Since 1948, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, soldiers from the 3rd US Infantry⁶, The Old Guard, have placed small American flags in front of every headstone in the cemetery.

Lines of simple white headstones mark the soldiers' graves. But the 80-hectare cemetery also serves as a burial place for people of national and historical importance.

Two presidents are buried there: William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. Other well-known people buried at the cemetery include world champion boxer⁷ Joe Louis, North Pole explorer Robert E. Peary and the seven astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion⁸.

Nearly 4,000 former slaves are also buried at Arlington National Cemetery. One of them is James Parks. He dug the first graves in the cemetery.

Other well-known memorials

The best-known memorial in the nation's capital, however, is the Vietnam Veterans⁹ Memorial, which opened in 1982.

In 1980, a group of former soldiers announced a competition to design a memorial. The winner was Maya Lin, a 21-year-old student at Yale University in New Haven¹⁰, Connecticut.

Lin designed a memorial formed by two walls of black stone about 76 meters long. The walls meet to form a V. The names of more than 58,000 Americans killed or declared missing-in-action are cut into the stone.

Almost any time of day, you can see people looking for the name of a family member or friend who died in the war. Once they find the name, many rub¹¹ a pencil on paper over the letters to copy it.

Many people leave remembrances at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

After the success of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Congress¹² approved a memorial to the Korean War veterans which opened in July of 1995. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953. The memorial honors¹³ those who died. It also honors those who survived.

One of the lesser-known memorials on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is often called "the temple." The round stone structure honors people from the District of Columbia who died in World War I. The war was fought from 1914 to 1918.

Between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument on the National Mall is the World War II Memorial. The U.S. entered the war after Japan bombed the Navy¹⁴ base at Pearl¹⁵ Harbor¹⁶, Hawaii, on December 7th, 1941.

Sixteen million men and women served in the American military between 1941 and 1945. More than 400,000 died.

The World War II Memorial is built of bronze and granite¹⁷. In the center, at ground level, is a round pool of water. When the sun is just right, rainbows of color dance in the air. Fifty-six stone pillars¹⁸ rise around the pool. They represent each of the American states and territories, plus the District of Columbia, at the time of the war.

There are not yet memorials for soldiers who died in America's most recent wars – in Iraq and Afghanistan. The soldiers are buried in Section 60 of Arlington Cemetery. The section is often called "the saddest place in America."

On Memorial Day, Americans will stop for one minute at three o'clock local time for the National Moment of Remembrance to honor the soldiers who have died in service to the country, no matter what wars they served in.

Words in This Story

getaway - n. a short vacation

cemetery - n. a place where dead people are buried

decoration - n. a medal or award

champion - n. someone that has won a contest in sports

1 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

2 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

3 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

4 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

5 graves   

n.（法国）格拉芙葡萄酒；坟墓( grave的名词复数 )；死亡；钝重音符；沉音符v.坟墓( grave的第三人称单数 )；死亡；钝重音符；沉音符

参考例句：

• He went to visit the graves of his forefathers. 他去拜谒他祖先的墓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were eating themselves into their graves. 他们吃喝过度，在自找死路。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

7 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

8 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

9 veterans   

经验丰富的人，老兵( veteran的名词复数 )； 退伍军人

参考例句：

• Some veterans of the two world wars gathered to celebrate their victory. 一些经历了两次世界大战的退伍军人欢聚庆祝胜利。
• Seasoned veterans were picked to storm the difficult enemy position. 有经验的老兵被挑选出来去突袭难攻的敌军阵地。

10 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

11 rub   

n.摩擦，困难，障碍，难点，磨损处；vt.擦，搓，摩擦，惹怒；vi.摩擦，擦破

参考例句：

• Don't let the wire rub up against the pipe.别让电线碰到管子上。
• He used to rub up against many famous movie stars.他过去经常偶然碰到许多有名的影星。

12 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

13 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

15 pearl   

n.珍珠，珍珠母

参考例句：

• He bought his girlfriend a pearl necklace.他给他女朋友买了一条珍珠项链。
• The crane and the mother-of-pearl fight to death.鹬蚌相争。

16 harbor   

n.海港，港口；vt.庇护，藏匿；心怀(怨恨等)

参考例句：

• The harbor lies to the south of the city.港口在城市的南边。
• At that time,our ship was tied up at this harbor.当时我们的船停靠在这个港口。

17 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

18 pillars   

n.柱( pillar的名词复数 )；台柱；顶梁柱；（组织、制度、信仰等的）核心

参考例句：

• The pillars couldn't support the weight of the roof. 这些柱子无法承受屋顶的重量。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Are these pillars strong enough to keep up that dome? 这几根柱子撑得住那个圆形屋顶吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》