美国民众缅怀阵亡将士

States will honor those who died in military service with the annual Memorial Day holiday Monday.

While many communities across the country will honor the war dead with parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonies, others will mark the day with quiet reflection on those who have lost their lives in military service.

On Sunday, thousands of motorcycle riders rolled through Washington for the annual Rolling Thunder rally to call attention to prisoners of war and those missing in action.

President Barrack Obama used his weekly address to commemorate Memorial Day and pay tribute to the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in service to our country.

He said the holiday is especially meaningful this year because it is the first Memorial Day since the war in Afghanistan ended.

The first large-scale observance of what was originally called Decoration Day took place at Arlington cemetery in 1868, three years after the bloody U.S. Civil War that killed more than 600,000 people.

Many Americans have the day off from work and school, and the three-day weekend is seen as the unofficial start of the summer vacation season. Many families have picnics or make trips to the beach, parks or campgrounds.

全国许多社区将以游行、爱国音乐会和典礼的形式来悼念那些阵亡将士，而其他人则会以安静缅怀的方式度过阵亡将士纪念日。

星期日，数千人骑着摩托车在首都华盛顿参加了一年一度的称为“滚雷”的摩托车大游行，以此来引起人们对战俘和战争失踪人员的关注。

奥巴马总统在发表每周例行讲话时纪念阵亡将士纪念日，他在讲话中向那些为国家献出了生命的男女将士致敬。

他说，今年的节日尤其具有意义，因为它是阿富汗战事结束后的第一个阵亡将士“纪念日”。

第一次大规模纪念阵亡将士的活动于美国内战结束三年后的1868年在阿灵顿公墓举行。血腥的美国内战造成60多万人死亡。起初，这个节日被称为“装饰日”。

许多美国人在阵亡将士纪念日这一天不用上班或上学。三天的长周末也被民间视为夏天度假季节的开始。许多家庭会在这个小长假去野餐，或去海边、公园旅行，或去野营。