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My journey this week takes me to Memorial Day, a time to remember the greatest sacrifices others have made for our nation. Former Infantry Commander Burn Loeffke in his 2019 Resolutions wrote: “I will also remember soldiers who fought and died with us and for us. To be remembered is to live.”
War or Conflict:
- Revolutionary War: 4,435
- War of 1812: 2,260
- Mexican War: 13,283
- Civil War: 497,792*
- Spanish-American War: 2,446
- World War I: 116,516
- World War II: 405,399
- Korean Conflict: 36,574
- Vietnam Conflict: 58,220
- Persian Gulf: 383
- War on Terror: 6,997 (as of May 16, 2019)
Memorial Day started because of the terrible carnage of the Civil War in which some 500,000 (although the New York Times states newer estimates place the death total at 650,000 - 850,000) soldiers on both sides lost their lives. As a result, all over the country, communities started spontaneous commemorations of their dead, carrying flowers, wreaths and flags to cemeteries to decorate the graves.
Source: Congressional Research Service and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Those who have fallen, their blood may have dried and faded, but it still stains the hearts of old comrades and loving families who continue life’s journeys without them.
