Memorial Day... The Day we reserve to remember all of those that have fallen while serving.

I for one think that every day should be reserved for Memorial Day. The sacrifice given by some is one that can never be re-payed and should never be forgotten. The Ultimate Sacrifice that so many have given for out Freedom and the United States of America should be always be given the utmost respect by all.

On this day, who is it that we remember most... Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Son, Daughter, Grandparent, Uncle, Aunt or Cousin? Maybe a friend went away and came home, but you were only able to say good-bye too. These are the ones that we hold on high on this day, but it should be every day.

I come from a Family full of Military Service, on both sides, and that respect for service members is instilled deep in us all. Family and Friends that have never made it back home to our loving arms, but to a Memorial Service to send them off, until we meet again.

On this Day, I discussed with my son, who is it we are giving the reverence too. We talked about those that had served and some we had lost. The discussion turned to just how many that we had lost, so I thought I would share this with you all.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR: 25,435

WAR OF 1812: Appx. 25,000

American-Mexican War: 13,283

Civil War: Appx. 625,000

Spanish-American War: 2,456

Philippine-American War: 3,216

WORLD WAR I: 116,708

WORLD WAR II: 407,316

KOREAN WAR: 54,246

VIETNAM WAR: 58,253

GULF WAR: 293

IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN: Appx. 7,400

The Appx. estimates are debated by several factors and a consensus was made between the different reporting sites. Both Combat and Civilian deaths while inside the combat zone were added to the totals provided.