Memorial Day is officially observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military. It was originally known as Decoration Day because families would decorate the graves of those who had fallen in the Civil War. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades as you can see from this selection of images from our Photo Collection.
Books of War and Sacrifice
The Ghosts of Hero Street: How One Small Mexican-American Community Gave so Much in World War II and Korea
Harrison, Carlos (Carlos E.).
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
Hillenbrand, Laura.
Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and POW
Jefferson, Alexander, 1921-
The Thin Red Line
Jones, James
Jones is best known for From Here to Eternity, and several other books about war, but this book is far more raw in its representation of men at the battlefront.
Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
Swofford, Anthony.
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War
Wright, Evan.
Shoot Like a Girl: One Woman's Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front
Hegar, Mary Jennings.
The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior
O'Neill, Robert, 1976-
Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield
Tzemach Lemmon, Gayle,