GETTYSBURG, Pa. — An annual Memorial Day ceremony was held Monday at Gettysburg National Cemetery, 156 years after the holiday first known as "Decoration Day" was originally observed on the site.
The ceremony honored the men and women who had lost their lives in the United States Armed Services, both during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War and all other U.S. wars and conflicts.
The ceremony happened on the grounds where former president Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address in 1863 during the dedication of the cemetery, a speech which may have served as an inspiration for the Memorial Day holiday itself.
"We need to remember," said Barry Decker, the Chairman of the Gettysburg Joint Veterans Memorial Day Commission. "We can't forget about the sacrifices that men and women from the Civil War, but then all of the wars since then."
The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Major General David Hill, who is the Commandant of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle. He reflected on colleagues he knew who were killed in action and emphasized the importance of learning from those who sacrificed all.
"It's not lost on me that all over our nation today, communities are coming together to reflect on service and sacrifice," Hill said. "And I think that that's appropriate. It's important for our nation, not just to reflect and honor those that gave their lives, but to think about all that is expected of us moving forward as a nation."
An impersonator of Lincoln read the Gettysburg Address in full at the ceremony, which also included the laying of a wreath, a 21-gun salute, and the firing of cannons.