26 May 2016 United States Army Europe and the Wiesbaden

26 May 2016 United States Army Europe and the Wiesbaden Community recognized Memorial Day Observance and Retreat Ceremony on Clay Kaserne, in Wiesbaden Germany. Brig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal presented the wreath and a speech to the Gold Star family members, Soldiers and guests present at the ceremony.
BG Laubenthal, Chief of Staff, USAREUR, and Command Sgt. Major Daniel Pinion, USAREUR G-3/5/7 SGM, salute the flag and lay the wreath for the Memorial Day ceremony.
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and was initiated to honor the Soldiers who died during the American Civil War.
Celebrations honoring Civil War heroes started the year after the war ended, with the original national celebration day of Decoration Day on 30 May 1868. The establishment of a public holiday was meant to unify the celebration as a national day of remembrance instead of a holiday celebrated separately by the Union and Confederate states. By the late 19th century, the holiday became known as Memorial Day and as expanded to include the deceased veterans of all the wars fought by American forces. In 1971, Memorial Day became a federal holiday and was given the floating date of the last Monday of May. (U.S. Army Photo by Visual Information Specialist Dee Crawford)