REMEMBRANCES AND LESSONS …
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring people who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Beginning with the American Revolutionary War in 1775, and continuing through the War in Afghanistan still being fought today, a total of 1,354,664 Americans have perished serving their country.
The most deadly war by far was the Civil War when 750,000 American lives were lost, representing a staggering 2.4% of the U.S. population.
Americans serving in the Union and Confederate Armies died at a rate of 520 per day in the Civil War, compared with 1 death every three days (and declining) in today’s War in Afghanistan.
Americans debate whether war justified the lives of our predecessors and loved ones, but inarguably the biggest takeaway from these sobering statistics is that we were at our worst and suffered the most when we fought against each other.
Date: September 17, 1862
Location: Sharpsburg, MD
Union Casualties: 12,410 (2,108 killed)
Confederate Casualties: 10,316 (1,567 killed)
On this Memorial Day, let’s not forget the deadly lesson from past partisan division and remember the fallen who had selfless courage and made the ultimate sacrifice so that together as Americans we may enjoy our freedom and a more perfect union.