Credit: US Embassy Luxembourg
The US Embassy in Luxembourg has announced that the annual Memorial Day ceremony will take place at the Luxembourg American Military Cemetery and Memorial in Luxembourg-Hamm on Saturday 25 May 2024 at 13:45.
The US Ambassador to Luxembourg, Tom Barrett, together with the American Battle Monuments Commission, is inviting members of the public and press to attend this ceremony. Government and military representatives of the United States and Luxembourg will also be present.
Representatives of organisations wishing to have a wreath pre-positioned for the ceremony are asked to inform the cemetery as soon as possible via email: luxembourg@abmc.gov or via tel.: 431-727. All wreaths must be delivered to the cemetery no later than 10:00 on 25 May.
As the US Embassy recalled, Memorial Day in the US is observed on the last Monday of May and honours the men and women who died while serving in the US military. Whilst Memorial Day 2024 will occur on Monday 27 May, it is traditionally marked with a ceremony in Luxembourg the preceding Saturday.
Originally known as Decoration Day, it began following the US Civil War as a remembrance of the fallen from that conflict and was formally recognised in 1868. After World War I, the day came to honour all those who had died in military service and became known as Memorial Day. In 1971, the US Congress established Memorial Day as a federal holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May. The US Embassy noted that many Americans observe the holiday by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades to remember and show gratitude for those who died in the service of their country.
