Your Patch Guide to Memorial Day

Memorial Day was established as an official federal Holiday in 1971. According to an article on the Huffington Post, 1,196,793 Americans have been casualties of war since the American Revolution.

There will be tributes to soldiers who gave their lives in cities and towns all over the nation and at Arlington National Cemetery where more than 220,000 graves of fallen heroes ave been adorned with flags. Click on the video to see the story of the families and soldiers who pay tribute to fallen loved ones and comrades every year.

Why is Memorial Day held in late May?

This is when flowers are in bloom, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs:

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

Here are links to other important information about Memorial Day in West Chester and the region.

• What's Closed for Memorial Day in West Chester and Surrounding Communities.
• Trash Collection Information for Memorial Day
• Grocery Store Hours for Memorial Day
• See Traffic in Real Time Before You Hit the Road for Home