There are 260,000 graves in Arlington National Cemetery. This weekend each one of them has an American flag on its headstone, placed there by soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day on which we traditionally honor the men and women who died in military service.
In 1971 Memorial Day was officially relocated to a Monday, providing a three-day holiday weekend. While Americans appreciate the opportunity to spend time away from work, perhaps enjoying a traditional barbeque with friends and families, the deeper meaning of the holiday has receded in importance. According to surveys, many people today do not even know the exact meaning of Memorial Day.
To help remind Americans of the real significance of Memorial Day, Congress in 2000 passed the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution. This resolution suggests that at 3 p.m. local time, Americans “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps’.”
Since the U.S. declared independence from England, we’ve been engaged in 25 military conflicts, resulting in 1.3 million deaths of service members. Around 4500 American military personnel have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and close to 40,000 have been wounded. War is a tragedy human beings keep repeating; it would be nice to think that one day we as a species may progress beyond killing each other. And, of course, we Americans are not alone in bearing the human toll of war. Both our allies and our adversaries have suffered great losses. The pain of bereaved families spreads around the world.
Whatever our feelings about the necessity of any particular war, or the political underpinnings of our current conflicts, I believe it is important to remember that each person who gave his or her life died in dedication to our treasured American ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Whether drafted or enlisted, each of them pushed through the fear of being at war, and willingly did his or her job in service to the rest of us.
So tomorrow at 3 p.m., let’s put down our paper plates for just a moment, and honor their lives.
Thank you very much for this wonderful article. As a not just a war veteran but a combat veteran in Afghanistan it makes me proud to see Americans realizing what Memorial Day is all about. Thank you so much for your article.
John, thank you so much for your service. We are all in your debt. And thanks for the comment!