H.R. No. 2824
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Every Memorial Day, millions of citizens across
Texas and the nation gather to remember those heroic men and women
in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our
country; and
WHEREAS, Originally known as Decoration Day for the practice
of decorating the graves of soldiers with flowers once a year, this
holiday began after the Civil War as a remembrance of those who had
died on both sides of the conflict; celebrated on May 30 in
subsequent decades, the holiday came to be known as Memorial Day, a
day to honor all of the country's fallen, in all of its wars; since
the early 1970s, the day has been observed on the final Monday in
May; and
WHEREAS, The nation's most solemn Memorial Day ceremony
occurs in Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, where the remains of unidentified Americans from World War
I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War are interred in
a marble monument and in the adjacent plaza; accompanied by honor
guards from all branches of the military, the president of the
United States traditionally lays a wreath at the tomb, and the
ceremony is further solemnized by the sounding of "Taps," the
haunting bugle call that has been performed at military funerals
and memorials since the Civil War; and
WHEREAS, At the same time, in cities large and small across
the nation, veterans and their fellow citizens gather in cemeteries
and other public places to remember fallen comrades and to pay
tribute to those who died to protect our liberty; these ceremonies
are also graced by the stirring echoes of "Taps," and by tradition,
the United States flag is briskly raised to full staff at the
beginning of the day and then lowered slowly to half staff, where it
remains until noon, when it is raised to full staff again; and
WHEREAS, The toll of freedom is high; in the 238 years since
the founding of our republic, more than 840,000 American military
personnel have died in battle, and each year, on Memorial Day,
Americans gather to pay tribute to those courageous men and women
who, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, gave the last full
measure of devotion; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize Memorial Day 2014 in solemn
commemoration of all those who have died in the service of the
nation.
Price
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2824 was adopted by the House on May
26, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House