Remembering Heroes

by Barbara Latta

Arlington National Cemetary

Memorial Day was set aside as a time to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to birth our country and defend its freedom. While the holiday has become a time for sales and barbecues for some, it's important to honor the reason for the day. 

The following is a list of the wars fought since the beginning of our nation and the number of casualties each war cost. It's easy to forget how many have paid this price until the numbers are in front of us.

American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783; 25,000
War of 1812, 1812-1815; 20,000
Mexican-American War, 1846-1848; 13,283
Civil War, 1861-1865; 625,000
Spanish-American War, 1898; 2,446
Philippine-American War, 1898-1913; 4,196
Boxer Rebellion, 1900-1901; 131
Mexican Revolution, 1914-1919; 35
Haiti Occupation, 1915-1934; 148
World War I, 1917-1918; 116,516
North Russia Campaign, 1918-1920; 424
American Expeditionary Force Siberia, 1918-1920; 328
Nicaragua Occupation, 1927-1933; 48
World War II, 1941-1945; 405,399
Korean War, 1950-1953; 36,516
Vietnam War, 1955-1975; 58,209
El Salvador Civil War, 1980-1992; 37
Beirut, 1982-1984; 266
Grenada, 1983; 19
Panama, 1989; 40
Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991; 258
Operation Provide Comfort, 1991-1996; 19
Somalia Intervention, 1992-1995; 43
Bosnia, 1995-2004; 12
NATO Air Campaign Yugoslavia, 1999; 20
Afghanistan, 2001-2014; 2,356
Iraq, 2003-2012, 4,489

Thousands are buried at Arlington National Cemetary, many more on battlefields all over the world; some in unmarked graves that were never found. May we never forget the blessing of freedom and the cost so many paid to bring it to our shores.

Purple Heart for heroes

God bless America!

Please use the comments section to remember a hero of yours, or share your thoughts about America and Memorial Day.