Monday is NOT a Day to Honor Veterans

Monday is not a day for honoring Veterans.   We try to do that every day we can, but November is when we celebrate Veteran’s Day.  Monday is not a day for giving thanks for being the freest and most prosperous nation in history.  We should try to do that every day too, but July 4^th is when we celebrate Independence Day, the birth of our nation.   No, this 4^th Monday in May is a day where we get very specific.  We remember the men and women who have died in military service to our country.   We remember and honor them for the “ultimate sacrifice”.  Think of what that means.  They didn’t give up their house, or their business, or their family, their stock portfolio, and their freedom.  They gave their very lives so that the rest of us could have and keep those things.  They didn’t hide.  They didn’t surrender.  They accepted their duty and served with honor and bravery and without reservation.

It’s been a long time, probably since grade school, since I looked at the numbers at the casualties of wars.

Civil War:               755,000

World War II:         405,399

World War I:          116,516

Vietnam War:           58,209

Korean War:             36,574

Revolutionary War:  25,000

Six Other Wars:        41,517

That’s 1,438,215 souls.  Monday, Memorial Day, let’s remember and honor each and every one of them.  Traditionally, we have a national moment of remembrance at 3 pm local time on Memorial Day.