Minnesota’s Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar faced criticism on Twitter after making an error about Memorial Day in a tweet. In the Tweet, now deleted, Omar commented, “On [Memorial Day], we honor the heroic men and women who served our country. We owe them more than our gratitude – they have more than earned access to quality mental health services, job opportunities, housing assistance, and the benefits they were promised.”
Twitter users were quick to point out the mistake, noting that Memorial Day is about commemorating those who lost their lives while serving in the United States military, not about military veterans more broadly.
Memorial Day, initially known as Decoration Day, was established in the wake of the Civil War to memorialize those who died in the conflict. The day was later expanded to honor all Americans killed in military duty. Veterans Day, on the other hand, celebrates both living and deceased veterans, as per the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ website.