The time has come around to celebrate Memorial day, a day set aside to honor those who have died in the armed services of the United States. Last year I covered some of the history about the holiday on this post. This year I figured I would revisit some of the wars in which the US has participated. In researching this, I found that we have been in more armed conflicts then I had thought we had. Whether this was an oversight of my history education in school, or just something I forgot, I don’t know. I was even going to type up a list, but if the wikipedia list is anything to go by, it would have been too long for a simple blog post.
Some of the conflicts and wars were Americans against ourselves or our neighbors such as the Native Americans, Mexico and once Canada (on behalf of Britain). Others were American forces helping out in other conflicts or outright war with another country. Either way, Memorial Day is a day to celebrate the Men and Women who put their life on the line for our country and lost it. We might not remember why they fought or disagreed with the leadership that sent them to fight, but we should remember their sacrifice for our country.
The US of course isn’t the only country to have a day set aside to memorialize those who have died while in the service of their country, as shown in this Time.com Article. Some take place in spring, like the US holiday, but others take place at other times of the year. For example, in Great Britain, they celebrate Remembrance Day on November 11, the day World War II ended.
Memorial Day is sometimes confused with Veterans Day, but they have separate purposes. Veterans Day in the US is held on November 11, and is there to honor all those who served. Memorial day is for the sole purpose of honoring the memory of those who served and lost their lives.
Sokorra Lewis 