The first Memorial Day was celebrated in 1865 in South Carolina to honor fallen soldiers from the Civil War. Since then, it has developed into a national holiday in honor of all soldiers and their families.

Still, the emphasis remains on those who gave their lives for America.

In 2011, recently-fallen soldiers from US military operations in the Middle East were honored. Military Times, a military news organization, listed the six most recently fallen soldiers in May on its website on Monday.

In May, 20 soldiers in total were killed in combat. So far in 2011, 164 have fallen. In total, 6,013 US soldiers have fallen from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Meanwhile, former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin took the time to raise awareness about US military personnel who are MIA or POW yesterday when she joined the Rolling Thunder Rally.

The message heard loud and clear through the roar of tens of thousands of bike engines declared, 'We will never forget our heroes left behind!' Truly, our POWs and MIAs honored today are America's real heroes, Palin wrote on her website.

Below is the 6 most recently fallen soldiers in May 2011 listed on Military Times.

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