Some Gave All

Memorial Day is a day we set aside to ruminate upon and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom: their lives.

The day honors the men and women who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and is a federal holiday.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day when it began in 1868. It is traditionally observed on the last Monday in May.

However, this was not always the case as some older readers (and at least one editor) may remember it being observed on May 30. This is because from 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30. In 1971, Congress standardized the day of the holiday as “Memorial Day” and changed its observance to the last Monday in May.

The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868.

John Logan, an Illinois congressman before the Civil War, volunteered as a Union soldier once fighting broke out. He was promoted during the war to general. He was then promoted to Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1868, he issued an order to honor Union soldiers who had died in the war.

“The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country,” the order read. “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance.” Logan described their deaths as “the cost of free and undivided republic.”

There had been local observances between the end of the fighting and Logan’s proclamation 3 years later.

The idea of honoring the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers with flowers on that day is credited to Mary Ann Williams, a Southern woman who wrote a letter to two local newspapers in 1866 to suggest setting set aside a day to decorate soldier’s graves.

The idea spread, as did the letter, throughout the South and then to newspapers in the North.

The news was reportedly so widespread that it would have been nearly impossible for Logan to have missed the news.

Recognition as a holiday spread among the states, beginning with New York in 1873. By 1890, every Union state had adopted the observance.

World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (19391945) turned the day from a day of remembrance for Union soldiers to a day of remembrance for all soldiers who fought and as a result, died in war.

We owe our eternal gratitude to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy as Americans starting with the American Revolution to the present day.

There are wars that we all know and wars that might come as a surprise, but American soldiers heroically fought and died in those, just the same.

IntheA m e r i c a n Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775–1783, the total U.S. deaths C o m b a t : 8,000 Other: 23,000 total: 31,000 and wounded: 35,000. Total U.S. casualties: 66,000. Deaths as percentage of total population: Not given.

“Other” is used to designate all non-combat deaths including those from bombing, massacres, disease, suicide, and murder.

Northwest Indian War, which lasted from 1785– 1796 the total U.S. deaths were for Combat: 1,056 plus , wounded: 825+, with total U.S. casualties at 1,881 plus.

Quasi-War, which lasted from 1798–1800, there were 20 combat deaths, 494 deaths listed as “other” with 514 total deaths, 42 wounded and 556 U.S. total casualties.

In the First Barbary War, which lasted from 1801– 1805 and was basically a war against pirates, there were a total of 35 combat deaths, 39 “other” deaths, a total of 74 deaths, with 64 wounded and 138 in total U.S. casualties.

Other actions against pirates ranged from 1800– 1900 with a total of 36 combat deaths, 158 plus as “other”. There were 194 plus deaths with 100 plus wounded and total U.S. casualties at 294 plus.

The Chesapeake–Leopard affair was a naval skirmish off of Norfolk, Virginia against the British on June 22, 1807 which resulted in 3 deaths, 18 wounded and 21 total mU.S. casualties.

Things with Britain didn’t improve at this time and the War of 1812, thus commenced.

In that war, which lasted from 1812–1815 2,260 Americans were killed.12,740 died as a result of “other”. 15,000 US. soldiers were killed, 4,505 wounded with 2 0 , 0 0 0 total casualties, .21 percent of the population at the time. There were smaller battles throughout the intervening years that were classified as conflicts. Unfortunately, there would not be enough newspaper or time to list each one, but we remember their sacrifice just the same.

Mexican–American War lasted from 1846–1848 and saw 1,733 combat deaths, 11,550 deaths classified as “other”, 13,283 in total U.S. deaths, 4,152 wounded with total U.S. casualties at 17,435 or 0.06 percent of the population

In the Civil War, which lasted from 1861–1865 a total of 214,938 were killed in action, with 450,000 categorized as “other” with a total of 655,000 dead.

To break it down, the U.S. Army suffered 140,414 men lost, 224,097 as “other” with 364,511 soldiers in total. 281,881 were wounded and total U.S. casualties were at at staggering 64,392.

On the Confederate Army side, 94,000 men were killed, 195,000 deaths were classified as “other” with a total of 290,000 dead, 194,026 wounded and another staggering total of 483,026 for U.S. total casualties. Deaths were 2.1 percent of the country’s population.

Again, smaller battles and conflicts were to follow, mostly in fighting Native Americans and settling the West.

The Spanish-American War came in 1898 and resulted in 385 U.S. deaths, with 2,061 as “other” with a total of 2,446 dead, 1,622 wounded and a total of U.S. casualties at 4,068.

The Philippine-American War followed and lasted from 1898-1913 with 1,020 dead, 3,178 deaths as “other”, a total of 4,196 U.S. deaths, 2,930 wounded and 7,126 total U.S. casualties.

The Boxer Rebellion sent our soldiers to China and that lasted from 1900-1901. 68 soldiers were killed, 63 died as “other”, 131 died in total, with 204 wounded and 335 U.S. casualties.

The Mexican Revolution and the fight against Pancho Villa sent our boys South of the Border from 1914–1919, resulting in 120 deaths, 61 dying as “other”, 181 in total deaths, with 319 wounded and 500 in total of U.S. casualties.

The very same year that the Mexican Revolution started, Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian national, sparking World War I and ending a style of familial monarchy rule in Europe that had lasted a thousand years. The Great War lasted from 1914–1918 with 53,402 U.S. soldiers killed. 63,114 dying from “other” 116,516 in total. 204,002 were wounded, 320,518 in total U.S. casualties and 3,350 missing. 0.11 percent of the total U.S. population died in the war.

The peace was kept by the League of Nations for the most part, amid minor skirmishes, but wouldn’t last for long.

War was being plotted by Imperial Japan not long after the Guns of August fell silent. Germany, too was arming themselves in direct violation of the agreements signed at Treaty of Versailles that ended the Great War as it was known. Appeasement was tried but did not work. It wasn’t known as the First World War until the Second World War broke out in 1939 when German leader Adolf Hitler invaded Poland.

The United States sent supplies and military aid using the Lend lease Act but would become fully involved until the Japanese Naval Forces bombed U.S. bases in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor, Guam, Midway Island, Wake Island and the Philippines on December 7, 1941.

291,557 U.S. soldiers would die in combat, 113,842 would die as “other” with a total of 405,399 dead, 670,846 wounded and a U.S. total casualty at 1,076,245. 72,491 soldiers would be classified as missing. 0.39 percent of the total population of the country would die as a result of the war.

The Korean War would rage from 1950–1953 to stop the “domino effect” of Communism. 3 3 , 6 8 6 men would die in that war. 2,830 would die, listed as “other” or a total of 36,516. 92,134 would be wounded, the total U.S. casualties at 128,650 with 7,564 classified as missing.

The fight for what was then known as French-IndoChina war would simmer as the French fought there from 1946-1954 and turn into the Vietnam War as we known of it, starting in 1955 when the first U.S. advisors were sent. The Gulf of Tonkin incident would ramp up the war and keep it going until 1975 when the last of the American troops officially pulled out of Saigon and let it fall into Communist hands.

In the Vietnam War, 47,434 soldiers would be killed in combat, 10,786 would die as “other 58,220 would die in total. 153,303 would be wounded, 21,1454 are listed as total U.S. casualties. 1,584 are classified as still missing from that war.

In 1990, the Gulf War began and last until 1991. 149 servicemen and women were killed in combat. 145 did as a result of “other”, 294 in total with 849 wounded and 1,143 listed as total U.S. casualties. 2 were reported as missing in action.

In the War in Afghanistan, which lasted from 20012021, 1,910 servicemen and women were killed in combat, 415 died as a result of “other” 2,325 deaths in total with 20,093 wounded and 22,311 listed as total U.S. casualties.

In the Iraq War, which lasted from 2003– 2011, 3,519 servicemen and women were killed in combat, 973 died as the result of “other”, 4,492 died in total. 32,222 were wounded and 36,710 listed as total U.S. casualties. There were 3 reported missing in action.

In terms of the worst in combat deaths, the wars are as follows:

1 World War II 1941– 1945 291,557 dead.

2 American Civil War 1861–1865 214,938 dead.

3 World War I 1917– 1918 53,402 dead.

4 Vietnam War 1955–1975 53,220 dead.

5 Korean War 1950– 1953 33,686 dead. 6 American Revolutionary War 1775– 1783 8,000 dead.

7 Iraq War 2003– 2011 4,424 dead.

8 War of 1812 1812– 1815 2,260 dead.

9 War in Afghanistan 2001–2021 1,833 dead.

10 M e x i c a n – American War 1 8 4 6 – 1849 1,733 dead.

Let us remember the altruistic sacrifices that these and every soldier have made selflessly in the cause of our freedom so that we may enjoy what many Americans often take for granted. Liberty and freedom are not free. Some paid with it by their very existence, so that we may exist in freedom.

We owe it to those who have died to defend our country and must remember to honor our heroes on this Memorial Day and every day.

God Bless America.