Memorial Day 2023: Beverly Hosting Inaugural Warrior Weekend

BEVERLY, MA — The inaugural Warrior Weekend in Beverly is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Two days of military demonstrations and tributes in Beverly will now include Apache helicopters, an Air Force mini-jet and large M777 howitzers from the U.S. Army as part of the first Warrior Weekend set for Saturday and Sunday at Beverly High School.

North Shore residents are advised to expect the symbols of military might traveling through the region to and from the festival, as well as soaring overhead, starting Friday as part of the event designed to provide an appreciation for veterans in advance of Memorial Day Weekend.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Beverly cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com.

As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town's observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.

No matter where they are or what they're doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in
silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.