Rockford Sun

Illinois Sen. Dave Syverson attended the Huntley Memorial Day parade to celebrate the nation's fallen warriors and honor their service.

Syverson shared a post on Facebook with pictures of the event.

"What a tremendous turnout for today's Huntley Memorial Day Parade," Syverson said in the Facebook post. "So many spectators lined up to celebrate. Honoring and remembering our fallen. Happy Memorial Day."

Illinois resident Gen. John A. Logan is widely credited as the first person to declare Memorial Day an official holiday, the Jacksonville Journal-Courier reported. An April 29, 1866, celebration in Carbondale is believed to be the first observance of Memorial Day, and approximately 212 veterans from the area attended.

"I think Logan's primary purpose was his fear, which is shared by many of us, that all of the veterans would be forgotten," Michael Jones, director of the Gen. John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro, told the Journal-Courier. "He wanted to ensure that we will still honor the men who died to keep the republic."

Memorial Day has continued to be a national and statewide tradition. A variety of parades and events marked Memorial Day 2022 across the state, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.

What we now know as Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, the History Channel reported. The first Decoration Day occurred on May 30, 1868, a few years after the end of the Civil War.

"By proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, the first major Memorial Day observance is held to honor those who died 'in defense of their country during the late rebellion,'" the History Channel reported.