Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
On May 25th, this nation will once again celebrate Memorial Day. For many people, this holiday represents a nice three-day weekend, a first chance to work on that summer tan, or a chance to shop for great deals on linens and electronics at Walmart, Costco, and Best Buy.
With all these distractions, it’s easy to lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday. Originally called Decoration Day, soldiers would honor the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers, flags, and wreaths. The name was changed to Memorial Day in the late 1800s, but wouldn’t become an officially recognized holiday until 1967.
Most Americans know of the major conflicts, WW I & II, Civil War, Vietnam, Korea, and the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, soldiers, sailors, and aviators have made the ultimate sacrifice almost continuously throughout our nation's history, with an estimated 1.3 million total US war casualties. A quick review of the conflicts and estimated loss of life should make all of us pause and reflect upon the sacrifices made on our behalf.
- American Revolutionary War (1775-1783): estimated 25,000 deaths
- Northwest Indian War (1785-1795): estimated 1,056 deaths
- Quasi-War (1798-1800): 514 deaths
- First Barbary War (1801-1805): 74 deaths
- War of 1812 (1812-1815): estimated 15,000 deaths
- 1st Seminole War (1817-1818): 47 deaths
- Black Hawk War (1832): 305 deaths
- 2nd Seminole War (1835-1842): 1,535 deaths
- Mexican-American War (1846-1848): 13,283 deaths
- Rogue River War (1851-1856): 196 deaths
- 3rd Seminole War (1855-1858): 26 deaths
- Civil War (1861-1865): estimated 625,000 deaths
- Indian Wars (1865-1898): 919 deaths
- Great Sioux War (1875-1877): 314 deaths
- Nez Perce War (1877): 134 deaths
- Spanish-American War (1898): 2,446 deaths
- Philippine-American War (1898-1913): 4,196 deaths
- Boxer Rebellion (1900-1901): 131 deaths
- Mexican Revolution (1914-1919): estimated 181 deaths
- Haiti Occupation (1915-1934): 148 deaths
- World War 1 (1917-1918): 116,516 deaths
- North Russia Campaign (1918-1920): 424 deaths
- American Expeditionary Force Siberia (1918-1920): 328 deaths
- Nicaragua Occupation (1927-1933): 48 deaths
- World War 2 (1941-1945): 405,399 deaths
- Korean War (1950-1953): 36,516 deaths
- Vietnam War (1955-1975): 58,209 deaths
- El Salvador Civil War (1980-1992): 37 deaths
- Beirut (1982-1984): 266 deaths
- Grenada (1983): 19 deaths
- Panama (1989): 40 deaths
- Persian Gulf War (1990-1991): 294 deaths
- Operation Provide Comfort (1991-1996): 19 deaths
- Somalia Intervention (1992-1995): 43 deaths
- Bosnia (1995-2004): 12 deaths
- NATO Air Campaign Yugoslavia (1999): 20 deaths
- Iraq (2003-2012): 4489 deaths
- Afghanistan (2001-present): 2,356 deaths
(Sources include: US Army Military History Institute, iCasualties.org, Wikipedia, militaryfactory.com)
Enjoy your three day weekend, but also remember those families grieving on this day for loved ones lost.
