Though Memorial Day and Veterans Day are two separate holidays, both days seem vaguely synonymous and appear to celebrate the same thing: the men and women who serve in the United States military. However, in reality, Memorial Day is much older than Veterans Day and each holiday commemorates different people in the U.S. armed services.

Memorial Day stemmed from a desire to honor the dead after the Civil War. On May 5, 1868, General John Logan, commander of the Great Army of the Republic through General Order No. 11, selected May 30 as Decoration Day.