Civil War Soldiers & Sailors Database

As we approach Memorial Day, remember the roots of the holiday.

At its conception, it had nothing to do with three-day weekends, paid holidays for federal employees, or even backyard grills.

In fact, it wasn't even called "Memorial Day."

It was, instead, known as "Decoration Day," because folks were expected to traipse out to the nearest cemetery and do some clean-up . . . and especially around the tombstones of the Civil War dead.

So, as you chow-down on your hamburger or hot dog and enjoy an extra day off from work, at least remember why you have that privilege.

And, if you want to find out if some member of your family served in the Civil War, check out this handy website put together by the National Parks Service:

http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss

Oh, yeah, and Happy Birthday to David Key.