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For Immediate Release
May 19, 2015
John A.
Scocos Column: Memorial Day 2015
As many of us do each year, we gather this
Memorial Day to recognize and honor those brave men and women who gave their
lives in service to their nation. Nearly every generation of our nation has
sacrificed many of its best and brightest – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines
and Coast Guardsman – in answering our nation’s call to arms since our
beginning.
Those who serve and have served in our Armed
Forces have answered a noble call, sworn an oath, and defended this great
nation. Many of those brave warriors gave their lives in that service, which is
what sets this day apart from all other special days of recognition who observe
for our military veterans.
No matter when they served, or where, our
veterans were compelled or volunteered to serve something greater than
themselves at great personal risk.
Those who have served our nation in uniform
have made us free and kept us free for more than two centuries. They’ve done
the same for countless other peoples throughout the world. They’ve delivered
the United States’ foreign policy without regard for their self or personal
belief – a true definition of selfless service – and they’ve done it better
than anyone.
There is cost to this freedom. Ultimately,
the most precious resource is human life and the largest cost to any military
action is the human cost. That is exactly what Memorial Day is about,
remembering the human cost of our conflicts. The number of war dead is
staggering.
That number exceeds more than one million
from 1775 to the present day. The Civil War claimed more than 600,000 from both
sides – nearly 2 percent of our population at the time. The First World War:
more than 100,000. The Second World War: more than 400,000. Korea and Vietnam:
each more than 50,000. Our continuing War on Terror stands at more than 6,000.
Those are just our largest numbers - there are many thousands more from other
our other conflicts.
This Memorial Day we remember each one of
those men and women. Some we remember personally. Some we remember through
family histories. Every servicemember who gave their life in defense of this
country is remembered on this day, whether they are known to many or only a
few.
We should do our best to know those who
fought so hard for the world we inherited from them and never forget their
accomplishments, sacrifices, courage and commitment.
-30-
(John
A. Scocos is the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. He
is an Iraq War veteran.)
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