Memorial Day - A Time to Remember

MEMORIAL DAY—A TIME TO REMEMBER

Guest opinion submitted by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo

Our national observance of Memorial Day began just after the Civil War. However, at first, it was mostly a local event. Something individual communities did to remember the young men who had died during the war. In 1868, the Union Veterans Association, also called the "Grand Army of the Republic," set aside the 30th of May as a day for its members to decorate the graves of the Union dead. Over the years, it became know as "Decoration Day, and by 1873, the remembrance caught on in communities across the United States and it became an official holiday. While Idaho would not become a state until 1890, many of our earliest settlers were veterans of the Civil War and "Decoration Day" was widely observed. Over time, as our country faced other wars, Memorial Day took on a broader meaning. Today it is an opportunity to honor all those who gave the highest measure of devotion in the service of their country.

Our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have just completed the successful liberation of Iraq. Last year, many of these same brave service personnel defeated the Taliban and al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. Both of these operations were dangerous, both fraught with risk, but in each case, thanks to the daring and resolve of these brave young men and women, we defeated those enemies.

However, sometimes I worry that those of us at home, watching the progress of these conflicts on television, might lose sight of the true cost of war. The television coverage is perhaps the best ever. Thanks to sophisticated communications technology, it is possible to literally track the progress of a battle as it happens. But even then, for those of us at home, it's still on television and happening thousands of miles away.

Most of us who haven't experienced war can't fully appreciate the fear and the stress that goes with combat. Most of all, it is sometimes easy to forget that real people--our young men and women--sometimes give their lives to make sure that those at home can stay free and safe to pursue their dreams.

In Operation Iraqi Freedom, approximately 164 coalition soldiers, both British and American, gave their lives to defeat the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. Another 25 Americans died fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Each of these young men and women, were sons, daughters, wives and husbands and the loss of each of them brought their own particular tragedy. It is these brave young men and women that we honor on Memorial Day. Men like Major Gregory Stone, a member of the Idaho National Guard, who died in the service of his country in Iraq.

But, we should also remember that Memorial Day honors all of our nation's war dead. So many bright young faces never came home from the first Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea, the Second World War, and the First World War. During Vietnam, 251 Idahoans died in the service of their country; another 381 Idahoans were killed in Korea; and a rather staggering 1,419 died in World War II.

Most of these young people, who fought to give us the freedom we so appreciate today, are lost to history. We know their names, where they served and where they are from, but that's about all. But we do know that, like those brave soldiers who fought in Iraq, they gave their lives so that our country, you and I, could enjoy the freedom we know today. We owe these fine men and women our deepest gratitude and on this Memorial Day, I urge all Idahoans to take some time and remember what they did for us.