It’s Memorial Day here in the United States, the day we honor and remember those who died in service to our country. Most of them died during war, either declared or undeclared.
Although large numbers are often difficult to grasp, each of the numbers below represents a human being with a life story.
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (Aug. 24, 2007) – Honor guard members from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command prepare to conduct a homecoming ceremony for U.S. service members lost during the Vietnam War and World War II and recovered by recovery teams last month in Vietman, Laos and Austria. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Charity Barrett via Wikimedia Commons
According to a PBS story using the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs as its source, the number of United States military deaths during war time are as follows:
- Revolutionary War – 4,435
- War of 1812 – 2,260
- Indian Wars – 1,000
- Mexican War – 13,283
- Civil War – 498,332
- Spanish-American War – 2,446
- World War I – 116,516
- World War II – 405,399
- Korean War – 54,246
- Vietnam War – 90,220
- Persian Gulf War – 1,565
- Global War on Terror – 6,852
So today, please take a moment to remember those who died in service to our country and made your barbecue possible.
US war casualties in a C-17 Globemaster III at Dover Air Force Base
This photo and 361 others have been released by the Air Force due to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Memory Hole, and can also be found at this site. Photo via Wikimedia Commons