U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 26

WASHINGTON, May 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

MONDAY, MAY 26: MEMORIAL DAY

Profile America Monday, May 26th. Today is Memorial Day. For some people, it's the start of the summer season and a time for family gatherings and sporting events. But the true meaning of the day is underlined by the continuing sacrifices made by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first official observance of Memorial Day was on May 30, 1868, ordered by General John Logan, when flowers were placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. From the Civil War through Vietnam, some 566,000 U.S. service personnel died in combat, more than half of them in World War II. Currently, there are nearly 1.4 million men and women on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/ (look under the "Newsroom" button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at +1-301-763-2812, fax at +1-301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed(At)census.gov.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812

Web Site: http://www.census.gov/

2008-05-26 08:03:35 0370054 PRNEWSWIRE