Each year on the last Monday in May, we pause to remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Memorial Day is a sacred time of remembrance, and for many families in Illinois and across the nation, it's personal.

Originally known as Decoration Day, this tradition began in the years following the Civil War. Both Northern and Southern communities started honoring fallen soldiers by placing flowers on their graves during springtime “decoration days.” By 1868, the observance had gained a new name, Memorial Day, and took on broader meaning in the years that followed. After World War I, the commemoration was expanded to include American military personnel who died in all wars.

We set aside the last Monday of every May to honor the men and women who lost their lives while serving is the United State military. The annual commemoration we now know as Memorial Day has its roots here in Illinois, and it came about because of Union General turned Illinois Congressman John A. Logan.

Seeing the need for continued remembrance of those who had fallen in the Civil War, Logan issued his General Order Number 11 establishing Dedication Day:

United States Marine Private Jack Redman has finally been laid to rest with full military honors in his Illinois hometown of Watseka, more than 70 years after his combat death in World War II. State Representative Tom Bennett's resolution honoring Marine Private Jack Redman's heroism and sacrifice,  adopted on Memorial Day, was an fitting tribute.

Today in Springfield, House Republicans joined together in a movement of silence on Memorial Day to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.

John A. Logan (R) Murphysboro

On the last Monday in May, a grateful nation pauses to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we hold dear. The annual commemoration we now know as Memorial Day has its roots here in Illinois, and it came about because of Union General turned Illinois Congressman John A. Logan (R-Murphysboro).