Memorial Day: a day to remember, reflect, and honor

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day to remember our nation’s sons and daughters who left the comfort of their homes and communities to fight for freedom. It’s a day when we remember, and give endless thanks to those who’ve paid the ultimate price — a day to remember, reflect, and honor the fallen.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Traditionally observed on May 30, Memorial Day is now celebrated on the last Monday in May (pursuant to the National Holiday Act of 1971.) Critics argue that the change helped the holiday lose its meaning for many people, turning it into a three-day weekend marked by sales, barbecues and parties.

But Memorial Day is about remembering and honoring the more than 1.3 million Americans who gave their lives in service to our nation since its birth in 1775.

According to U.S. Defense Department statistics:

as of May 22, 2014, there have been 2,351 U.S. military casualties during the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom, and 124 U.S. military casualties in other locations;

66 U.S. military casualties during Operation New Dawn in Iraq, between Sept. 1, 2010 and Dec. 15, 2011.

4,412 U.S. military casualties during Operation Iraqi Freedom between March 19, 2003 and Aug. 21, 2010;

1,565 U.S. military casualties during the Persian Gulf War (Desert Shield/Desert Storm) between Aug. 2, 2990 and April 11, 1991;

58,220 U.S. military casualties during the Vietnam War;

36,574 died in the Korean War;

405,399 died in World War II;

116,516 died in World War I; and

625,000 died in the Civil War.

Additionally, 315 U.S. troops died in special military operations around the globe since 1980, according to the Defense Department. These include the Iranian hostage mission, Lebanon peacekeeping, military operations related to Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and military operations in Grenada, Panama, Somalia and Haiti.

In his weekly address on Saturday, President Barack Obama reminded us that “we are the Americans they died to defend.” He called upon all Americans to “fulfill our sacred obligations” to our fallen heroes.

“We have to honor their memory. We have to care for their families, and our veterans who served with them. And as a nation, we have to remain worthy of their sacrifice — forever committed to the country they loved and the freedom they fought for and died for.”

Riverhead remembers
In Riverhead, the Combined Veterans Committee organizes the annual Memorial Day parade, which steps off at 10 a.m. at the corner of Osborn Avenue and Pulaski Street. It proceeds south to Court and West Main streets for a ceremony at the World War I eternal flame monument. It then proceeds east on Main Street, north on Roanoke and west on Pulaski to the Civil War monument at the Riverhead cemetery, where another service is conducted. The parade’s last stop is the War Memorial at the corner of Pulaski Street and Osborn Avenue, for the main ceremony of the event, beginning at approximately 11 a.m.

Memorial Day ceremonies at Calverton National Cemetery begin at 1 p.m.