In the United States, we have a federal holiday called Memorial Day which is set aside to remember our members of the military who have died in service to our nation. On this day, there are parades and backyard barbecues. Many people have the day off from work and children are out of school.
In the midst of this, we tend to forget the point of the holiday which is to remember the sacrifices of those who came before in order to provide us with the freedoms we enjoy today.
In the Revolutionary War, we lost 25,000 service members.
In the Civil War, we lost 625,000 service members.
In World War I, we lost 116,000 service members.
In World War II, we lost 405,000 service members.
In the Korean War, we lost 36,000 service members.
In the Vietnam War, we lost 58,000 service members.
In the current Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, we have lost 6,200 service members.
Since our birth as a nation, we have lost over 1.3 million service members.
Know that I am no fan of war. I am the type of person who believes that education, reason, compromise and basic human compassion should be enough to settle the differences between us. When we feel the need to take any life in order to preserve free thought, free expression, free worship, free speech and freedom of life, I think we have somehow failed to live up to our potential.
I am also a realist and I know conflicts, armed and otherwise will continue to happen. I know that men and women throughout our history have had to be very brave in order to stand toe to toe with an enemy, to trust their training, to do their job and to protect their country, their family and their friends.
Whether you like the United States or not, whether you feel wars are justified or not, my wish for Memorial Day is simply to remember that 1.3 million men and women have paid the price for your freedom to hate and love, to speak and be heard, to protest, complain and vote. Know that it is not only our dead who paid the price. During many conflicts, many nations have stood beside us, bled with us and died with us. In World War II alone, Russia lost 10% of its population. In my house, we make it a point to remember that we were seldom alone in our victories or our defeats.
We honor our dead with thoughts and respect. We honor those they left behind by remembering. We honor their sacrifice by acknowledgement and by making the best possible use of the freedoms they purchased for us with their very lives.
In the midst of this, we tend to forget the point of the holiday which is to remember the sacrifices of those who came before in order to provide us with the freedoms we enjoy today.
In the Revolutionary War, we lost 25,000 service members.
In the Civil War, we lost 625,000 service members.
In World War I, we lost 116,000 service members.
In World War II, we lost 405,000 service members.
In the Korean War, we lost 36,000 service members.
In the Vietnam War, we lost 58,000 service members.
In the current Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, we have lost 6,200 service members.
Since our birth as a nation, we have lost over 1.3 million service members.
Know that I am no fan of war. I am the type of person who believes that education, reason, compromise and basic human compassion should be enough to settle the differences between us. When we feel the need to take any life in order to preserve free thought, free expression, free worship, free speech and freedom of life, I think we have somehow failed to live up to our potential.
I am also a realist and I know conflicts, armed and otherwise will continue to happen. I know that men and women throughout our history have had to be very brave in order to stand toe to toe with an enemy, to trust their training, to do their job and to protect their country, their family and their friends.
Whether you like the United States or not, whether you feel wars are justified or not, my wish for Memorial Day is simply to remember that 1.3 million men and women have paid the price for your freedom to hate and love, to speak and be heard, to protest, complain and vote. Know that it is not only our dead who paid the price. During many conflicts, many nations have stood beside us, bled with us and died with us. In World War II alone, Russia lost 10% of its population. In my house, we make it a point to remember that we were seldom alone in our victories or our defeats.
We honor our dead with thoughts and respect. We honor those they left behind by remembering. We honor their sacrifice by acknowledgement and by making the best possible use of the freedoms they purchased for us with their very lives.
