Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service1. A total of 41,892,128 people has served in the United States Military between 1775 to 1991 with 651,031 battlefield deaths2 according to the Veterans Administration (VA). The Global War on Terror (Oct 2001 – ) information which includes data from 1980 forward, can found by clicking on this link.
Jay Harold has written several posts about U.S. Military Veterans MSG Austin Alexander and Ralph Brooks, Sr. The importance of learning from these veterans can’t be underestimated. Remember ” The best sermons are lived, not preached.” – Cowboy wisdom
Future President James A. Garfield3 said these words as he memorialized those Union soldiers interred at the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on first Memorial Day of May 30, 1868.:
“I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering words on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of the 15,000 men whose lives were more significant than speech and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung. . . .
456 U.S. soldiers were killed in hostile actions in 2010.
“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country, they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue. . . .
“What other spot so fitting for their last resting place as this, under the shadow of the Capital saved by their valor?
“Here, where the grim edge of battle joined; here, where all the hope and fear and agony of their country centered; here let them rest, asleep on the nation’s heart, entombed in the nation’s love.”
President Garfield4 was one of the best public speakers of his time. He was the last of the log cabin presidents and was assassinated after only 200 days in office.
The debate5 about the future of the United States over healthcare and its place on the world stage is possible because of the sacrifice of the brave.
Enjoyed this post? Share it and read more here. Jay Harold has put together a Resource page that you may find useful when trying to improve your health and wealth. Please take this advice of Muhammad Ali and give back to others. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” ~ Muhammad Ali
Bibliography
- https://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/
- https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf
- http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/05/when_james_garfield_remembered.html
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/jamesgarfield
- http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/335373-the-memo-trump-returns-to-challenges-at-home
