Tomorrow is Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, the holiday in which American’s honor the lives of those who died in service to this great nation. Americans have always been a people who fought for what they wanted, often times justly and others, well, not so much. As a result there are multitudes of men and women whose lives were cut brutally and violently short in order that we could arrive where we are today, at the apex of civilization as we know it. Now I am aware that that statement may sound arrogant to some but it is my belief that, even with all of it’s short comings, the United States of America holds a unique position in the history of humanity as a guiding beacon for the people of the world to look upon.
There is no other nation that is as wealthy in mind, body and spirit as the U.S. The great people of this nation have the ability to exercise their free will however they wish which can not be said for any other nation in existence today. Of course that freedom comes with ultimate responsibility for our actions. It is my belief that as a population we are still immature in this regard, too often willing to blame others for our misdeeds or lack of actions. Understand that those we honor tomorrow fought and died so that we could enjoy this position, and all they asked in return is that we fully respect and appreciate the rights and freedoms they deliver to us.
This is no time to pick fights with people over differences of opinion, instead it is a time to reflect upon the responsibility we hold as citizens of this country. These men and women gave their lives, the least we can do is honor them by not taking advantage of our wealth and comfortable position. While you enjoy time with your families this holiday I ask that you take a moment to reflect upon the lives of all those who died so that you could enjoy your freedom. I apologize if this list is incomplete but it is the best compilation I could find of U.S. war casualties throughout our history (courtesy of Wikipedia).
War or Conflict | KIA | Total Dead | Wounded |
---|---|---|---|
American Revolutionary War | 6,824 | c. 25,000 | 8,445 |
Quasi-War | 20 | 20 | 42 |
Barbary Wars | 35 | 35 | 64 |
Other 19th century actions against pirates | 10 | 10 | 21 |
War of 1812 | 2,260 | ? | 4,505 |
Indian Wars (1817-1898) | 1,000+ | ? | ? |
Mexican-American War | 1,733 | 13,283 | 4,152 |
American Civil War | 214,938 | 558,052 | 412,175+ |
Korean Expedition, 1871 (Shinmiyangyo) | 3 | 3 | 13 |
Spanish-American War | 385 | 2,446 | 1,662 |
Philippine-American War | 2,008 | 5,224 | 3,718 |
Boxer Rebellion | 37 | 37 | 204 |
Mexican Revolution 1914-1919 | 35+ | ? | 70+ |
Occupation of Haiti 1915-1934 | 146 | ? | 26+ |
World War I, see also: World War I casualties | 53,513 | 116,708 | 204,002 |
1918-1919 Northern Russian Expedition (Polar Bear Expedition) | 180* | 353 | ? |
World War II, see also: World War II casualties | 292,131 | 407,316 | 671,846 |
Korean War | 33,651 | 36,516** | 103,284 |
Vietnam War | 47,369 | 58,167 | 153,303 |
Iran Hostage Crisis (Operation Eagle Claw) | 0 | 8 | 5 |
El Salvador Civil War | 9 | 20 | 35 |
Beirut Deployment | 256 | 266 | 169 |
Bombing of Libya (Operation El Dorado Canyon) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Persian Gulf Escorts | 39 | 39 | 31 |
Invasion of Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) | 18 | 19 | 119 |
Invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause) | 23 | 40 | 324 |
Persian Gulf War | 148 | 383 | 467 |
Somalia, (Operation Restore Hope) | 29 | 43 | 153 |
Haiti, (Operation Uphold Democracy) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Bosnia | 1 | 12 | 6 |
Kosovo, (Operation Allied Force) | 0 | 2 | ? |
Afghanistan & the Philippines (Operation Enduring Freedom) | 55+ | 156 | 238+ |
War in Iraq (invasion & occupation), see also: Invasion and occupation of Iraq casualties |
1,184 | 1,493*** | 11,069 |
Haiti, (Operation Secure Tomorrow) | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* Some reported KIA may have been held as POW’s[1] (http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/memoir/aef_cong.htm)
** Does not include nearly 8,000 listed as MIA.
***The actual count of dead as of 5/29/05 is 1657 (Courtesy of Iraq Coalition Casualties).
Graneda: I have been researching this operation and noticed that inaddition to the 19 total KIA …. several sites make note of 4 MIA ….
I can not find any additional inforamtion on the 4 MIAs …
Can you supply and direction???
Thanks,
Dan