Memorial Day is a national holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday in May .
陣亡將士紀念日是美國的全國性節日，定在5月的最後一個星期一。
This year , Memorial Day falls on May 27 .
今年的陣亡將士紀念日是5月27日。
It is a day when Americans honor the men and women who have died fighting in America's wars .
在這一天，美國人向在美國歷次戰爭中犧牲的男女軍人致敬。
For most Americans , it also marks the unofficial start of summer .
對大多數美國人來說，這一天也標誌著夏天非正式的開始。
It is a popular weekend for vacationing .
這是人們度假的熱門週末。
It is the most famous burial place in America .
這是美國最著名的墓地。
The tradition began on May 30th , 1868 , when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in the cemetery .
這一傳統始於1868年5月30日，當時人們在墓地裡為北方聯邦軍和南方邦聯軍士兵的墳墓獻上鮮花。
It was called Decoration Day back then .
當時它被稱為「裝飾日」。
Lines of simple white headstones mark the soldiers ' graves .
一排排樸素的白色墓碑標示著士兵們的墳墓。
But the 80-hectare cemetery also serves as a burial place for people of national and historical importance .
但這座占地80公頃的墓地也安葬著具有國家和歷史意義的人物。
Two presidents are buried there : William Howard Taft and John F .
那裡安葬著兩位總統：威廉·霍華德·塔夫脫和約翰·F.
Other well-known people buried at the cemetery include world champion boxer Joe Louis , North Pole explorer Robert E .
安葬在這座墓地的其他知名人士包括世界拳王喬·路易斯、北極探險家羅伯特·E.
Peary and the seven astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion .
皮里，以及在挑戰者號太空梭爆炸中罹難的七名太空人。
Nearly 4,000 former slaves are also buried at Arlington National Cemetery .
阿靈頓國家公墓還安葬著近4000名曾經的奴隸。
One of them is James Parks .
其中一位是詹姆斯·帕克斯。
He dug the first graves in the cemetery .
他挖了這座墓地最早的一批墳墓。
The best-known memorial in the nation's capital , however , is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial , which opened in 1982 .
不過，首都最著名的紀念碑是1982年落成的越戰退伍軍人紀念碑。
In 1980 , a group of former soldiers announced a competition to design a memorial .
1980年，一群退伍軍人宣布舉辦紀念碑設計比賽。
The winner was Maya Lin , a 21-year-old student at Yale University in New Haven , Connecticut .
獲勝者是康乃狄克州紐哈芬市耶魯大學21歲的學生林瓔。
Lin designed a memorial formed by two walls of black stone about 76 meters long .
林瓔設計的紀念碑由兩面長約76公尺的黑色石牆組成。
The walls meet to form a V .
兩面牆相接，形成一個V字形。
Almost any time of day , you can see people looking for the name of a family member or friend who died in the war .
幾乎一天中的任何時候，你都能看到人們在尋找戰爭中陣亡的親友的名字。
Once they find the name , many rub a pencil on paper over the letters to copy it .
找到名字後，許多人會把紙放在字上，用鉛筆拓下來。
Many people leave remembrances at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial .
許多人會在越戰退伍軍人紀念碑前留下紀念物品。
After the success of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial , Congress approved a memorial to the Korean War veterans , which opened in July of 1995 .
越戰退伍軍人紀念碑大獲成功後，國會批准興建韓戰退伍軍人紀念碑，該紀念碑於1995年7月落成。
The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953 .
韓戰從1950年持續到1953年。
The memorial honors those who died .
紀念碑紀念的是陣亡者。
It also honors those who survived .
它也向倖存者致敬。
One of the lesser-known memorials on the National Mall in Washington , D.C ., is often called "the temple ."
華盛頓特區國家廣場上一座較不知名的紀念建築常被稱為「神殿」。
The round stone structure honors people from the District of Columbia who died in World War I .
這座圓形石砌建築紀念的是在第一次世界大戰中犧牲的哥倫比亞特區居民。
The war was fought from 1914 to 1918 .
這場戰爭從1914年打到1918年。
Between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument on the National Mall is the World War II Memorial .
國家廣場上林肯紀念堂和華盛頓紀念碑之間，是第二次世界大戰紀念碑。
The U.S . entered the war after Japan bombed the Navy base at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , on December 7th , 1941 .
1941年12月7日，日本轟炸了夏威夷珍珠港的海軍基地，美國隨後參戰。
Sixteen million men and women served in the American military between 1941 and 1945 .
1941年至1945年間，共有1600萬男女在美國軍隊中服役。
The World War II Memorial is built of bronze and granite .
第二次世界大戰紀念碑由青銅和花崗岩建成。
In the center , at ground level , is a round pool of water .
中央與地面齊平的地方，有一個圓形水池。
When the sun is just right , rainbows of color dance in the air .
陽光角度恰到好處時，彩虹般的色彩在空中舞動。
Fifty-six stone pillars rise around the pool .
水池周圍矗立著56根石柱。
They represent each of the American states and territories , plus the District of Columbia , at the time of the war .
這些石柱代表戰爭時期美國的各個州和領地，外加哥倫比亞特區。
There are not yet memorials for soldiers who died in America's most recent wars – in Iraq and Afghanistan .
目前還沒有為在美國最近的戰爭——伊拉克和阿富汗戰爭中犧牲的士兵建立紀念碑。
The soldiers are buried in Section 60 of Arlington Cemetery .
這些士兵安葬在阿靈頓公墓的第60區。
The section is often called “the saddest place in America .”
這一區常被稱為「美國最悲傷的地方」。
And I'm Mario Ritter , Jr .
我是馬里奧·里特。