Changes

What began to change the meaning, somewhat, of what was then called Decoration Day were the events of World War I. Once again, a bloody conflict consumed the United States. While World War I was not a very long war for the United States, it did endure relatively heavy casualties in the tumultuous last year of the conflict. Many families endured great loss, with over 116 thousand deaths, although many of those were due to disease, including the pandemic flu that had struck during the war.