Those Who Have Laid Down Their Lives For Our Country Deserve Your Respect on Memorial Day
Memorial Day first became an American tradition as Decoration Day during the 1860s to memorialize those who died in battle during the American Civil War and to place flowers at their graves. There is some debate about exactly when and where the observance was first proclaimed, but suffice it to say that Memorial Day was, and still is, meant to be a date set aside to render honors to those who have given their last full measure of devotion to this country. It’s not just a three-day weekend and it’s not just about barbecues and beer, parades and concerts, or the spectacle of the Indianapolis 500.
One Day Set Aside For a Very Special Purpose
Memorial Day is a day to remember with respect and reverence those members of the military who laid down their lives for our freedom. Let that sink in. These days we are so distracted, so saturated by social media and fake news, so overwhelmingly desensitized to the true meaning of Memorial Day that a reminder seems called for. Summer in these United States of America actually starts in mid-June. On any given day over the next few months we’ll celebrate other days like International Hamburger Day, National Brisket Day, Whooping Crane Day, and even Slugs Return From Capistrano Day. But not on the last Monday in May.
Not About Those Who Served or Serve.
What Memorial Day is not about are the men and women who served in the military or serve today; not about first responders, those who serve or have served the public in other ways, or other groups of people who richly deserve the nation’s respect and recognition. But, respectfully, that’s what Veterans Day is for. Memorial Day and Veterans Day are distinctly different in intent and scope, yet similar enough that some combine the two- and there’s really nothing wrong with that. Many of us recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, those who served, those who still serve, and others worthy of recognition much more frequently than one day a year. So celebrate, safely, but recognize what (and whom) you’re celebrating.
Costly Conflicts When America Was Young
During the Revolutionary War approximately 8,000 patriots died in battle. During the War of 1812, 2,260 members of the military were lost. The Mexican-American War cost 1,733 lives lost in combat. The Civil War was the second-costliest in our nation’s history- in large part because the majority of the 214,940 combatants killed were American. The Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American Wars sent 385 and 1,020 members of the military to their graves respectively.
World Wars, Costly Wars
World War I, the “war to end all wars”, cost the lives of 53,402 American service personnel with a new category of statistic- the missing, of which 3,350 were found to be. World War II was astronomically costly. 291,580 American armed service personnel died fighting the Axis powers. More than a million were wounded and 30,315 were listed as missing. Korea resulted in another 33,684 combat deaths with 92,315 wounded and 4,761 missing in action.
