Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 26, 2025, as “Memorial Day.”

PROCLAMATION

On Memorial Day, we remember those who laid down their lives in defense of our nation and our values. These brave individuals chose to serve something greater than themselves, and we are deeply indebted to them and their sacrifices.

This solemn tradition began as Decoration Day in the wake of the Civil War. Major General John A. Logan formalized the date in a “Memorial Day Order” that asked that “no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided republic.” Since then, even before Congress’s formal establishment of Memorial Day as a national day of remembrance in 1971, the day has expanded to honor all those lost in our nation’s wars.  

On this day of reflection, many Californians will participate in ceremonies at the state’s three veterans’ cemeteries, nine national veterans’ cemeteries, and hundreds of local cemeteries where the fallen are interred. Many of their names grace memorials throughout the country, from the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. to our own Capitol Park in Sacramento. Towns and cities nationwide have dedicated poignant memorials to their own sons and daughters lost in war.

And they are forever memorialized in our hearts and minds. We pay tribute to them with our enduring gratitude and respect, never forgetting the sacrifice they made to protect the rights and freedoms we hold so dear. We honor them with our commitment to respecting and caring for the veterans who are still with us, their brothers and sisters in arms.

In honor of our fallen heroes, I have ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on all state buildings and grounds throughout California. I also invite all Californians to participate in the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m. on Memorial Day, a shared moment of silence recognizing the servicemen and women who put their country before all else.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim May 26, 2025 as “Memorial Day.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 15th day of May 2025.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State