This is a speech I gave on memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day the day we honor our war dead, those warriors who gave what Lincoln called, “the last full measure of devotion.” I’m a veteran but this is not our day that comes on Veterans Day on November 11th. We came home carrying our shields; they came home carried on theirs. Memorial Day is the day we raise our glasses to honor and remember all the absent comrades.

The History:

Memorial Day is now a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering all the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The observance originated shortly after the American Civil War ended to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day, but the name gradually evolved into Memorial Day in the 20^th century and that was made official by congress in 1967.

The first well-known Memorial Day-type observance after the Civil War was in Charleston, South Carolina. During the war, Union soldiers who were prisoners of war had been held at the Charleston Race Course. During the war at least 257 Union prisoners died there and were hastily buried in unmarked graves. Shortly after the war ended, in May 1865, black residents of Charleston organized a ceremony, which was covered by the New York Tribune and other national papers.

Nearly ten thousand people gathered on May 1st to commemorate the war dead. Involved were recently “freedmen,” teachers, school children, Union troops, black ministers, and white northern missionaries. Most brought flowers to lie on the burial field. Years later, this celebration would come to be called the “First Decoration Day.”

Three years later on May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander of a veterans’ organization for Union Civil War veterans, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation calling for “Decoration Day” to be observed annually and nationwide. It was observed for the first time that year on May 30.

That date was chosen for two reasons first because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle and, the second according to the White House was, this was the optimal date for flowers to be in bloom.

An interesting fact is that Ironton, Ohio, lays claim to the nation’s oldest “continuously running” Memorial Day parade. Its first parade was also held on May 5, 1868, and the town has held it every year since.

How many of our military have not come home?

America has been involved in small, medium and large conflicts almost continuously since its founding. According to Wikipedia the U.S. military has been involved in 74 military conflicts since the Declaration of Independence where our soldiers have fought, died and suffered for their country. Because of the poor record keeping (no internet or computers) and the intensity of the fighting in many of these early conflicts, the numbers shown here are estimates’ only but probably not far off.

The totals are:

664,401 KIA

40,915 MIA (which I will consider KIA here)

and 1,647,973 WIA

Also there were 652,602 (mostly in the Civil War) who died in theater

That makes a total of 3,005,891 military casualties.  Therefore, we can say since the formation of our country 237 years ago that we have incurred 12,683 casualties per year or 35 casualties per day since the founding.

But today we are here to give thanks to those that gave their all in “combat” which, including MIA’s, as of last month totals 705,316 KIA.

What were the worst conflicts?

Of the 74 conflicts that the American military has been involved in eight (8) stand out for the numbers of military personnel who died or were wounded.  These 8 conflicts account for 97.2% of all military casualties.

More military were lost in WW II than any of the other conflicts but that was not the worst war we were in. To put these conflicts in proper prospective and using the figures listed in Wikipedia under “Untied States Military casualties of war” I created a table where I could compare the military casualties to the size of the country at the time of the conflict.

This makes a big difference since when the country was formed there were fewer than 3 million citizens and today there are well over 300 million citizens, 100 times more.

I’ll start with the current War On Terror even though it is not one of  the eight to give a base of comparison to all those past conflicts since it is the one we are most familiar with today.
The Global War on Terror (WOT)

10/7/2001 to …

This Kinetic Action using today’s vernacular can not be rated as it is not yet completed, but as of April 2013 last month 6,677 have died to get rid of the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan and remove an evil dictator with delusions of grandeur from Iraq.

So far this war has lasted 4,223 days and we have lost 1.58 of our military per day. This is America’s longest continuously running war.

Considering the size of the country at 300.4 million citizens and even if we add in the wounded, that means that only a very small fraction of the country has served, or died, or was wounded in this conflict.

In all the following conflicts I will reference them as some multiple of the War On Terror.

The American Civil War

4/12/1861 to 4/9/1865

This was by far the worst war we have ever been in, since it was the South against the North, all were Americans and 624,938 of them died to end slavery and to keep the country whole. The war lasted 1,458 days and we lost 428.6 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at 33.5 million citizens and adding in the wounded means that almost 3.2% of the population died or was wounded in that conflict.

That amounts to 1 out of 32 people. Nothing since comes even remotely close to what happened during the Civil War.

In fact we would have to add together all the remaining 7 major conflicts we have been in to equal that of the Civil War casualties compared to the size of the population. This war was 165.5 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

The American Revolution

4/19/1775 to 9/3/1783

This was the second worst war we have ever been in with 25,000 who died to sever our relationship from England and form the country.  The war lasted 3,059 days and we lost 8.2 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at only 2.8 million citizens means that this war was 93.0 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

World War II

12/7/1941 to 9/2/1945

This was the third worst war we have ever been in with 435,713 who died to defeat the Germans and the Japanese who were trying to take over the world. The war lasted 1,365 days and we lost 319.2 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at 136.7 million citizens means that this war was 42.4 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

World War I

4/6/1917 to 11/11/1918

This was the fourth worst war we have ever been in with 119,866 who died to save England and France from being defeated by Germany. The war lasted 584 days and we lost 205.3 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at 103.2 million citizens means that this war was 16.4 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

The War of 1812

6/18/1812 to 2/18/1815

This was the Fifth worst war we have ever been in with 14,260 who died to prevent England from taking back her former colonies.  The war lasted 975 days and we lost 14.6 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at 8.0 million citizens means that this war was 12.3 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

The Vietnam War

11/24/1963 to 4/30/1975

This was the Sixth worst war we have ever been in with 60,698 who died trying to save the Vietnamese from being taken over by the communists’. The war lasted 4,175 days and we lost 14.5 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at 202.6 million citizens this war was 5.5 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

The Korean War

6/25/1950 to 7/27/1953

This was the Seventh worst war we have ever been in with 41,278 who died to prevent the Communist North from taking over the free South. Technically this war never ended as there was a cease fire but no official end to the conflict.  The active portion of this war lasted 1,128 days and we lost 36.6 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at 156.2 million citizens means that this war was 4.5 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

The Mexican War

4/25/1846 to 2/2/1848

This was the Eighth worst war we have ever been in with 13,283 who died to resolve the issue of Texas who had seceded from Mexico. The war lasted 648 days and we lost 20.5 of our military per day. Considering the size of the country at 21.8 million citizens means that this war was 4.3 times more deadly then the current War On Terror.

This ends all the major conflicts.

This day is personal for me!

From my Special Force camp in Vietnam in 1967 and out of the team that averaged fewer that a dozen men and in the order that they died I knew the following:

SP5 Joseph R. Beck, KIA

SFC Elmer Ables, KIA

SGT Michal Miller, MIA

SFC Herman A. McBride, KIA

SFC Ernest O. Broom, KIA

SP4 Gerry D. Schroeder, KIA

That was almost 46 years ago and I still remember them and the others that were wounded in my camp but made it back.

That almost ends my talk and I hope I have conveyed to you the spirit of, and meaning of this day.

So go enjoy your barbecues, your friends, and your communities parades, but remember you do so because those honored dead make it possible.

Sometime today turn your thoughts to the many gardens of stone around the globe where those who gave their all now rest and say a pray of thanks to them.

 

Now I’ll close with a few of the opening lines from a poem I wrote about war, and the purpose of service, shortly after 9/11.

I am the American Soldier.

Liberty never comes free,

and the soldier’s life is the key.

My blood in Lexington first flowed,

giving sweet life to her precious seed.

 

But liberty is a demanding thought,

and its growth with much sacrifice is bought

I am the American Soldier.