Over the weekend and on May 31, local cities and organizations will hold ceremonies to honor the nationâs veterans who have either fallen in combat or have otherwise died. Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971. It was originally known as Decoration Day and originated in the years following the Civil War, according to the History Channel. Below is a list of known ceremonies in the area. If anyone knows of other ceremonies that are taking place on Memorial Day or over the course of the weekend, please provide a flyer or information to [email protected]. Killeen At 9 a.m. Monday, a virtual ceremony will take place from the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. It is being put on by the Area Veterans Advisory Committee (AVAC). The ceremony will take place on Zoom at http://bit.ly/MemDay21. The event is not open to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, but will shown live on Zoom.