Memorial Day - Did you remember?

The flag is flown at half-mast position until 12 p.m. to commemorate all Americans who have died in the service of the country. Then it is flown at full mast.



On Memorial Day, we remember the lives of those Americans lost in war. The numbers for combat and other victims are staggering. These figures do not include casualties in those other countries or the families and friends impacted by the loss. Total American deaths by war, according to Wikipedia, is as follows: Civil War (625,000), WWII (405,339), WWI (116,516), Vietnam (58,151), Korea (36,516). . . and the War on Terror (6,280).





I’ll leave you with quoted material from two media sources, which echo my feelings:

Herald News: Memorial Day has real meaning
Monday, May 27, 2013
Herald News
People may have different opinions on the wars America has participated in. And that's fine. . . . .
But the ultimate sacrifice some of these men and women make in pursuit of a stronger nation and safer world deserves our respect and attention. Those who have personally lost someone to battle may feel this weight throughout the year. But for many, today may be one of the only times when attention is truly given.

Washington Post
The Post’s View -
The debt we owe our servicemen and women
By the Editorial Board, May 26, 2013

It does seem to us that Memorial Day has meant more to much of the country in recent years, and there is a widespread respect for the men and women in uniform and an appreciation of what they have done for their country. There is, too, a greater awareness of the trauma and lasting damage inflicted on many of those who survived the worst shocks of war. But we have not yet come to a full understanding of the debt owed those who have died and suffered for this country.


MY NOTE - A parting thought . . . Rocky Mountain News reporter Jim Sheeler and photographer Todd Heisler covered several families who lost sons in Iraq in “The Final Salute,” a 12-part series, published in the Rocky Mountain News, Nov. 9, 2005. The series was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in feature writing in 2006.