CNN news 2012-05-29 加文本

cnn news 2012-05-29

AZUZ: Well, it started in Waterloo. Now people celebrate the holiday all over the U.S. They`ll be doing that this weekend. But they`re going to be calling it by a different name. For a lot of folks, this means three days of cookouts or pool parties, time off from school or work. But there`s a deeper meaning to this annual event, and we examine it right here.

AZUZ (voice-over): It started as Decoration Day. During the Civil War, the deadliest conflict in U.S. history, Americans would decorate the graves of troops who`d died in battle.

The holiday became Memorial Day after World War I in honor of fallen service men, and that`s what distinguishes it from Veterans` Day. While that occasion honors everyone who`s ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces, Memorial Day honors everyone who has died in U.S. wars.

This unifying theme is symbolized at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. It was originally known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, who`d died in World War I, but in 1958, unknown troops from World War II and the Korean War were also interred there.

You`ll see the ceremonial wreath laying at the tomb every Memorial Day. You`ll also see flags and hear services across the nation. Unofficially, Memorial Day signals the beginning of summer, which, in a way, also makes it a tribute to life.

AZUZ: It takes character to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and headed into this Memorial Day weekend, we asked how you would define character.

AZUZ (voice-over): Miranda says, "Character is who you are and what you do when no one is watching."

Autumn echoes that, saying, it`s the type of person you really are, which is shown through your actions when you are by yourself.

Bryce defines character as "being a role model to others who want to be successful in life."

Sean believes, "Character is who you are; it does not matter where you come from or what your surroundings look like."

Joy feels it`s "how you act when you have to make a difficult decision."

Joshua writes, "Character is what defines you as a person. Our football team has a motto, `Ability may get you to the top, but character is what keeps you there.`"

Lizzie defines character as "something that a person has that proves they can be responsible and that they can be trusted."

And to Nykolas, "character is who you are on the inside. It`s not who you pretend to be or who you become so others will like you."

AZUZ: Good comments there. Now before we go today, how do you celebrate a 95th birthday?

AZUZ (voice-over): If you`re in a restaurant in Detroit, you drop it like it`s hot -- dog. Apparently you drop a whole lot of them. This doesn`t seem like much of a party, but they`re not done yet. Once the hot dogs hit the ground, people then run in and try to scoop up as many as they could. The winner gets 1,000 bucks and a lifetime supply of -- guess what?

At least one person decided to feed part of what he picked up to his pup. You know what they say.

AZUZ: It`s a dog-eat-dog world. All right. That`s going to wrap things up for us today.

Before we go, though, we do want to congratulate the Kidder (ph) County Pirates for getting this week`s social media question right.

We will not have a show on Monday. We`re off the air in observance of Memorial Day. We`ll see you again on Tuesday unless you are out of school of the summer, in which case we wish you all the best. For the rest of you, we`ll see you Tuesday. For cnn Student News, I`m Carl Azuz.