Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Malden

MALDEN, MA — The upcoming Memorial Day service/parade in Malden is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Malden Memorial Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 29 at Forest Dale Cemetery is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

The ceremony will include several unveilings. The first will be of a plaque in honor of Malden Marine Lance Corporal Edward M. Garvin. Then there will be the dedication of two life size bronze statues to honor all the men and women who served during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and the many other military operations.

Marine Lance Cpl. Edward M. Garvin, 19, was killed in Action on October 4, 2006 while conducting combat operations in Rawah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The guest speaker will be Iraq and Afghan Veteran Emery Haskell, U.S. Navy Commander Ret., who served multiple tours with over five years of service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Malden cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.