In memory

Today is Memorial Day -- a holiday that has evolved into so much more than its original intent, which was to honor those who have given their lives in service to this great country. Memorial Day originated after the American Civil War as Decoration Day to honor the fallen Union soldiers. By this century its purpose has been expanded to honor all those who have died in wartime. Many use that day to honor all those loved ones who have died before us, with the decoration of grave sites in memory of friends and relatives a common and symbolic practice. The American flag is displayed prominently along streets and on homes, and is traditionally flown at half-staff until noon on this day, and then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. The grave sites of deceased veterans are decorated with flags as well. Services remembering the fallen are held, lest we forget the holiday's true intent. Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. Ironically, it has become so much more than just a day of remembrance. Memorial Day typically marks the start of the summer vacation season. It is a long weekend for most Americans, meaning a time for cookouts, camping, boating, family, and relaxation as well. And the Indianapolis 500 car race usually coincides with this weekend. We have woven so much into this holiday. But let's not forget its original intent. Wikipedia tallies the total of U.S. war dead at 848,163 combat-related deaths, and the total dead and wounded from all conflicts since 1775 at 2,489,335. Neither the Iraq War or Afghanistan crack the top 10 conflicts in U.S. deaths. Far and away the costliest war in terms of human lives was the Civil War with 625,000 deaths. The Civil War was followed by World War II with 405,399 deaths, World War I with 116,516, Vietnam with 58,209, and Korea with 36,516. To put these numbers into perspective, an average of 599 lives were lost per day during the Civil War from 1861-65, and the daily loss numbers decline to 416 (WWII), 279 (WWI), 26 (Vietnam) and 45 (Korea). By contrast, total US deaths in Iraq have totaled 3,542, and in Afghanistan 1,435. This is not to downplay the human cost of our latest wars, but rather to provide a perspective that wars have taken a significant toll and that, as we hear so often, "Freedom is not free." I was fortunate that during my 30 years in the Army I was never in harm's way. As fate would have it I was on the ground in Panama City in 1989 when Operation Just Cause was initiated to hunt down Panamanian President Manuel Noriega and to free that country from his tyranny. We all heard the shots fired and watched Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater simultaneously announce the beginning of that operation as we heard the firefight going on a few miles away. But we were never in serious danger. Others I knew or knew of weren't so fortunate. The first was my uncle, George Jarding, a young 19-year-old sailor aboard the USS Oklahoma, sunk by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. That attack lasted one hour, 50 minutes, and took the lives of 2,335 US military personnel. The main target of the Japanese that day was to be the aircraft carriers; however, since all three U.S. aircraft carriers were out to sea, the Japanese focused on the battleships. There were eight battleships at Pearl Harbor that day, seven lined up in "Battleship Row." During the attack, the Nevada left its berth in Battleship Row and tried to make it to the harbor entrance. After being repeatedly attacked on its way, the Nevada beached itself. The Arizona exploded when a bomb breached its ammunition room. Approximately 1,100 U.S. servicemen died on board. After being torpedoed, the Oklahoma listed so badly that it turned upside down. All eight U.S. battleships were either sunk or damaged during the attack. Amazingly, all but two (the Arizona and the Oklahoma) were eventually able to return to active duty. The next was Staff Sgt. Greg Wagner, little brother of my classmate Dan Wagner. Greg died of injuries sustained when a homemade missile struck his Humvee during operations in Baghdad on May 8, 2006. I knew Greg more through close association with his family. His dad, Chuck, was a veteran, extremely active in the local Legion post; his mother, Velma, known as "Blondie," and all of Greg's brothers and sisters -- I knew them all well and considered them close friends. Dan and I played football, basketball, baseball and track together for several years. Although I never met Andrew Olmsted face-to-face, I talked to him often and worked with him on Army projects. MAJ Olmsted worked in the personnel section of my higher headquarters unit in Fort Carson, CO. The Bangor, ME native was killed in Iraq on Jan. 3, 2008 at age 37. There have been others from my home state who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, and others seriously wounded. And there have been so many more before them. I don't know them personally, but I know they sacrificed their lives in service to their country and its ideals. I would like to ensure we remember all of them today, and keep their families and loved ones in our prayers.