This is a reissue of my Memorial Day AFNN article in 2021 written to help somewhat inform or educate many friends, relatives and others on a bit of the protocol associated with this most somber of veteran associated holidays. I am going to publish it with a few minor updates as I believe the basic message is still strong.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970.
This year marks the 157th National Memorial Day Wreath-Laying and Observance Program to honor America’s fallen. It will likely be live-streamed from Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) at noon EDT, Monday, May 26. There is also a National Memorial Day Concert with a tribute to Gold Star Families planned.
In conjunction with the renewal of this hallowed tradition, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) National Cemetery Administration honors America’s fallen at some 155 national cemeteries in 42 states and Puerto Rico as well as 34 soldier’s lots and monument sites, with corresponding ceremonies around the world. The Veteran’s Legacy Memorial hosted on the VA web site has markedly improved over the years as evidenced by an increasing capability to track down military of all services that one served with.
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) administers, operates and maintains 26 permanent American military cemeteries and 32 federal memorials, monuments and markers, which are located in 17 foreign countries, the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the British Dependency of Gibraltar; four of the memorials are located within the United States.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Memorial Wall is on the north wall of the Original Headquarters Building lobby and is a somber reminder about the dangers of service. This wall of 140 stars stands as a silent, simple memorial to those CIA civilian and assigned military who have made the ultimate sacrifice and is a reminder that freedom isn’t free. Two names were recently added (2022) to this tribute that contains a number of anonymous entries who doubtless are listed elsewhere on state department or special operations tributes.
Several analysts we worked closely with on GWOT counter IED efforts and one of our counter terrorism analysts from Langley were killed and wounded in an attack that added seven stars to the wall-our analyst who survived the attack carries a ball bearing in his head to this day and still suffers the effects of this incident. The 140th star was recently (2023) added in recognition of Dr. John Evans who was killed in a plane crash in Southeast Asia in 1969.
When I was stationed in Europe the rat basswich Soviet murder of US MAJ Arthur D. Nicholson was the closest we came to crossing into East Germany at “Check Point Charlie”-Helmstedt-to execute what at that time was our “Live Oak” contingency mission to enforce US access to the Berlin corridor. “Nick” is memorialized at the US Army National Ground Intelligence Center.
There are many stories to relate on this somber day as a reminder that freedom isn’t free: never forget.
My original article focused on clarifying the meaning of this special day. Memorial Day always brings out a bit of the “Grinch” in me. I feel an obligation to inform my circle of influence in the form of friends, relatives, work colleagues and frenemies alike about the origins and purpose of Memorial Day. Over the past decade or so I’ve endeavored to be the “firstest” to send a Memorial Day message to avoid the urge that comes over me- that I can’t ignore- to remind people that Memorial Day is a somber celebration of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
There may be BBQs, picnics and days off with family and friends, but it is not a “happy” day: no “Happy Memorial Days” for me….
There are many stories about how Memorial Day started. Early on it was called Decoration Day following the Civil War, when on 25 April 1866 a chaplain and local women placed flowers on soldier’s graves at Friendship Cemetery, Columbus, Missouri, to honor the 1600 soldiers who died in the Battle of Shiloh. There was no Blue or Gray distinction made in the tribute, nor rancor felt toward the Union Army that still occupied much of the south. Honoring all soldiers who served and sacrificed was reported locally and widely at a time when the Civil War remained a great source of angst and disagreement.
As the remembrance propagated through word of mouth to many a local community through similar informal ceremonies, Decoration Day was increasingly referred to and celebrated as Memorial Day, a day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in battle. Originally observed in recognition of the Civil War, successive wars added to the communities observing ceremonies as WWI and WWII involved even greater numbers of Americans in faraway places. With the addition of the Korean War, and Vietnam, congress lost no time (tongue in cheek-all deliberate speed) in declaring Memorial Day an official federal holiday in 1968, some 102 years after the initial, humble ceremony in Columbus.
Politicians and pundits alike are keen to tout patriotism when it serves their cause. However, those who pay attention to such matters have noticed that 7 December 1941-the “day that will live in infamy,” Pearl Harbor-rarely makes the front page news or headlines anymore.
Victory over Japan was a federal holiday for years and years. Today it is only observed in two states (Rhode Island and Hawaii.) It is surprising but these days fewer and fewer Americans have served in the Armed Forces, in fact the estimate is below ~7%.
We recently lost the last WWI veteran, Frank Buckles. He was born in Missouri in 1901, lied about his age to join at 16, served overseas in Bordeaux, France, but was not on the front lines. He died 27 February 2011 at 110 years old.
WWII Veterans-often described as the greatest generation- have been dying in staggering numbers. It is estimated there are less than 66 thousand WWII veterans remaining (as of 2024) out of 16 million who served.
The Korean War started 75 years ago 25 June 1950. Some 54,246 service members died over the course of the War. An estimated 600 veterans die daily of the 5.7 million who served, with approximately 760 thousand veterans remaining as of 2023.
As with everything associated with the Vietnam War, the number of service members who served on the ground in Vietnam is somewhat disputed but estimated to be between 2.7 and 3.2 million. Those who served are passing at the same rates as previous wars, with an estimated ~750K remaining, including those who served on land and sea.
I would be remiss if I did not update the “official” numbers that served for Desert Storm/Desert Shield (~700K served with 148 battle casualties and 145 non-battle from August 1990-28 February 1991,) Iraqi Freedom (1.5 million served with 4500 deaths and 32K wounded from 2003-2011) and Afghanistan Enduring Freedom (~800K served with 2400 deaths and 20K wounded from 2001-2014.)
For those who haven’t been to Washington DC recently (I don’t blame you) the War Memorials are somber, celebratory and sobering. The Vietnam War Memorial that was so derided when first installed has been celebrated as a perfect statement of the ambiguity, tragedy and loss represented by Vietnam. The addition of a flag, and later a memorial to over 10,000 woman who served there have only enhanced the near church-like somberness of the wall, with its seemingly endless listing of the 58,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice. With newer generations visiting and the veterans themselves now celebrated, there are always people tracing the names of loved ones and a visit is much more memorable than when the monument was first erected.
The WWII Memorial is massive and dominates the reflecting pond view from the Washington Monument Obelisk to the Lincoln Memorial. Some have described it as a bit over the top, but its recognition of multiple theaters of the war, fountains and sheer size is a fitting tribute to a generation that contributed some 16 million to the cause while losing some 400,000 during the War.
The recent completion of the WWI Memorial 17 April 2021 was a long time coming considering the war started over 100 years ago, some 4.7 million served and 116,516 made the ultimate sacrifice. When you consider how late the US entered the war, we lost a staggering amount of Americans in the span of just a few years-I have not seen this Memorial yet.
If there can be such a thing, my favorite is the Korean War Memorial. About a pitching wedge from the Lincoln Memorial, it is very subdued and different, with a Mural Wall commemorating key dates and events, a representation of a Platoon-sized element (or two squads) on a mission moving through rice paddies, a Pool of Remembrance, an Honor Roll of those lost, and an honorific in the form of a curb to the international force of 22 nations, as well as the United Nations. A total of ~5.8 million served in Korea, with 54,245 making the ultimate sacrifice, including some 8,200 listed as Missing-In-Action.
Our family has been through the memorials a lot, having lived in Virginia and worked in and around DC and environs for some 20 years. The reason the Korean Memorial is my favorite stems from an early visit in the spring several years ago.
Family was visiting from out of state, and they wanted to visit the White House. At that time, the tickets could only be procured through your congressional representative, or at a shop along Pennsylvania Avenue that opened at 0530 and was usually out of tickets (free) by 0545. The latter was our only option, the desirement having been communicated the night before. Knowing the traffic situation, we left at oh-dark thirty and had a half-hour to kill before the store opened. We posted somebody in the line and walked through the monuments doing the big loop back.
The Korean Memorial was cool and creepy. There was a low-lying mist and fog that morning that encompassed the western part of the reflecting pool stopping just short of the Lincoln Memorial. When we entered the Memorial, all got goose bumps. A light but persistent wind was clanking the chains on the perimeter, but as we mingled among the 19 seven-foot soldiers on patrol, it was easy to think of the noise as emanating from the Platoon’s equipment as they moved. You could only see small parts of the soldiers through the mist and the fog until they “popped” out of the mist as you moved close. They seemed intent on their task and desperate to press on. Their M-1 Garands and period radios-the PRC-25 with whip antennae-seemed so life like in the midst that the sound carrying through from adjacent visitors and passing cars seemed to be communications within the platoon. It was difficult not to stay clear in order to avoid disrupting their relentless press. It was creepy and moving, all at the same time. None of us have ever forgotten the experience…
The above is somewhat of a snapshot of the overall total of over one million Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in official battles. Several years ago I was writing a holiday safety reminder for my business unit for Memorial Day and a friend sent me a note about Patriots and sacrifice from his book (Patriot Hearts.) The gist of his note is that no matter how small a community is, there is some local hero-often dozens-who have made the ultimate sacrifice and are local heroes. And that Memorial Day can best be celebrated by talking about those who served and sacrificed from your own community.
The man he referred to in his note was one of the more surprising Medal of Honor Winners from WWI who is buried in a local cemetery close by where he lives. Jesse Funk was from Missouri, but he settled in Calhan, Co to ranch, population ~750 today-a town with no stoplights. He was a stretcher bearer who earned the award near Bois-deBantheville, France, 31 October 1918.
Citation: Learning that 2 daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man’s Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Funk and another stretcher bearer, upon their own initiative, made 2 trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued 2 wounded officers
Many motoring through little Calhan-where there are way more horses and cattle than people-pass by or travel on Funk Road none the wiser about the exploits of Jesse Funk.
This year we should strive to bridge and make right the egregious actions taken during the previous four years that undermined and sullied the spirit of Memorial Day through illogical political acts that included the dismantling of iconic memorials around America, including at Arlington Cemetery and other sites, accompanied by the trite and irrational renaming of many military base names.
Such actions undermine the very spirit of Memorial Day and create an undercurrent of a narrative that is disgraceful in consideration of the tribute we owe those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country: regardless of the cause and call to duty answered and rendered in faith to those they were called to serve.
The US military tradition is relatively young compared to many nations, but was purchased through the blood, duty, honor and sacrifice of citizen soldiers and dedicated patriots. We dishonor that service when we allow trite, politically motivated revisions of history that detract from their call to duty.
I served at Ft. Hood, Texas and many other duty stations in the US and around the world. Revisionist history and silly “feel good” political accommodations that rename and confuse simple matters such as names and places dishonor that service and undermine our rich military tradition.
All to say the message for Memorial Day is not a time for politics and not “happy,” but a somber occasion to tell stories, remember and to celebrate those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Many gave some, some gave all! Never forget!
Max Dribbler
26 May 2022
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