Happy Memorial Day to our American friends, as the United States honors the men and women – over 1.3 million of them throughout history – who gave their lives in service to enable a great nation to live freely and fully. This special observance began in the years following the Civil War and was originally known as Decoration Day. It gradually came to be known as Memorial Day.
Three years after the Civil war ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of the organization of Union veterans – the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) – established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Declaration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. The passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 by Congress made it an official holiday (the final Monday of the month).
Every Memorial Day carries importance, but Memorial Day 2026 feels different. Across the United States, people are preparing for a historic year as the country approaches its 250th birthday July 4. This rare milestone has given Memorial Day this year an even deeper meaning.
Today is a moment to reflect on American exceptionalism, on sacrifice, national identity, and the future of the country. At the same time, businesses, towns, cities, and technology leaders have used innovation to create new ways for people to connect with history as July 4 approaches. This is critical to the younger generation, in particular, many of whom over the past couple of decades – since the Obama Presidency in particular – have been brainwashed by the radical left (in schools, media, etc.) to hate America and all that it has ever stood for. That’s what has created individuals like Hasan Piker (HasanAbi online) who in turn have been able to attract millions of followers on social media. The pushback against this “cancer” in America (and Canada as well), connected to the evils of socialism and Marxism, has to be more aggressive than ever, and President Trump is leading the way.
U.S. stock markets of course are closed today. Canadian markets are open and they’re solidly in the green in early trading, but volume and news flow are lighter than normal. Oil prices have backed off while Gold has jumped more than $50 an ounce.