ALAMOSA — At a Memorial Day service at the Alamosa Cemetery, Veterans and others assembled to honor those who gave service and life to the nation.

Monte Collins, Commander of the Alamosa American Legion, presided over the ceremony and reflected upon the solemn day stating, "It is the soldier, not the reporter who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the poet who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the politician who has given us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Collins noted that since 1868, our nation has commemorated this day, and "we have come together in our communities, our cities, and towns to place flowers and flags on the graves of those who have given their last full measure of devotion to our country."

Memorial Day has its origins in the post-Civil War period when the organization of Union Veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate graves of the war dead. Today, this is recognized as Memorial Day.

Before an 1868 gathering of about 5,000 people at Arlington National Cemetery, James A. Garfield honored Veterans with these words, "For love of country, they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism, and their virtue." Garfield too, would give his life for his country when, as president, he was killed by an assassin's bullet in 1881.

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. At the time, Johnson said, "On this Memorial Day, as we honor the memory of brave men who have borne our colors in war, we pray to God for His mercy. We pray for the wisdom to find a way to end this struggle of nation against nation, of brother against brother. We pray that soon we may begin to build the only true memorial to man's valor in war--a sane and hopeful environment for the generations to come."

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday, and in December 2000, “The National Moment of Remembrance Act," was signed into law.