Honoring the Fallen: Memorial Day Contradictions and Celebrations

Memorial Day, originally meant to mourn the nation's fallen service members, has become a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers. The holiday is observed in part by the National Moment of Remembrance, which encourages all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. for a moment of silence. The holiday stems from the American Civil War, which killed more than 600,000 service members between 1861 and 1865. Despite its origins, Memorial Day has become a day of leisure, sales, and travel, with more than 42 million Americans projected to travel 50 miles or more this holiday weekend.