Just had the chance to read today’s High Point Enterprise editorial on Memorial Day.
[QUOTE][B]OUR VIEW: Today, we honor those who gave all[/B]
Earlier this year, the death toll of members of the U.S. military fighting in Iraq topped the 4,000 mark. As of last Friday, the number of U.S. troops killed there stood at 4,080. In Afghanistan, the death toll of U.S. troops fighting there stood at 501 as of last Thursday.
Today, let us put aside political views on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and let us honor the memories of these brave members of our armed forces who have died in defense of this nation.
Also today, we remember and honor all of the Americans who made the supreme sacrifice during one of the United States’ earlier wars - warriors who, as Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, gave the last full measure of devotion.
From the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and now Afghanistan and Iraq, American men and women have responded to the call for volunteers or the local draft board’s orders to risk their lives for the freedom of their country.
More than 1.4 million Americans have died while serving during America’s wars. According to The History Channel Web site at [URL=http://historychannel.com][U]historychannel.com[/U][/URL], here are estimates of U.S. war deaths:
[LIST][]American Revolution (1775-1783) - 4,435;
[]War of 1812 (1812-1815) - 2,260;
[]Mexican War (1846-1848) - 13,283;
[]Civil War (1861-1865) - 646,512 Union and 133,821 Confederate;
[]Spanish-American War (April-August 1898) - 2,446;
[]World War I (1914-1918) - 116,708;
[]World War II (1939-1945) - 407,316;
[]Korean War (1950-1953) - 36,512;
[]Vietnam War (1954-1975) - 58,193;
[]Persian Gulf War (August 1990 - April 1991) 148;
[]The War on Terror/Afghanistan (October 2001 - ongoing) - 501 as of May 22;
[]Iraq War (March 2003-ongoing) - 4,080 as of May 23.[/LIST]
The official Memorial Day observance goes back to 1868 when Union veterans of the Civil War wanted to begin commemorating the lives of their fellow soldiers who had fallen during the recent war. Although fighting had ended, the animosity had not, so most politicians, veterans and their families in the South would have nothing to do with this “Yankee” Memorial Day. They began celebrating Confederate Memorial Day. That day still is commemorated along with the national Memorial Day holiday by some people in the Southern states today.
Such is the nature of the politics of war. It was so back then just as it is now. But let’s save the debates until tomorrow so that today we focus only on remembering those who fell to secure and preserve the freedoms we cherish.[/QUOTE]