Remembering Those Who Died in War

The last Monday in May is Memorial Day, the day the United States has set aside to honor those who gave their lives to protect our nation and its interests. The holiday was established in 1868 but first called "Decoration Day" because the day was meant to be used to decorate the soldiers' graves. 

Here are the rounded numbers of fatalities from all the major wars:

• Revolutionary War - 5,000
  
• War of 1812 - 2,000
• Mexican War - 13,000
• Civil War - 500,000
• Spanish American - 2,000
• World War I - 117,000
• World War II - 400,000
• Korean War - 54,000
• Vietnam War - 90,000
• Persian Gulf War - 2,000                                 
•  *Statistics from the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans' Affairs

As you can see, more died in the Civil War than any other. That's because both sides were America. But let's remember all the brave men and women and their families from all military services who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Let us never take that lightly and never squander what's important by bickering over things that don't really matter.

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