{"id":225,"date":"2020-03-06T07:25:23","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T07:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/national-memorial-day-concert\/?page_id=225"},"modified":"2025-04-14T20:40:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T20:40:02","slug":"meaning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/national-memorial-day-concert\/memorial-day\/meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Meaning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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THE MEANING OF
MEMORIAL DAY<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

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Since the earliest ceremonies in small American towns following the Civil War, we have gathered on Memorial Day to honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. As in those early days of laying wreaths and placing flags, our national day of remembrance is often felt most deeply among the families and communities who have personally lost friends and loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This national holiday may also be the unofficial start of the summer season, but all Americans must take a moment to remember the sacrifice of our valiant military service members, first responders and their families. Memorial Day is a day of both celebration and grief, accounting for the honor of our heroes and reflecting on their tragic loss. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLet us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation\u2019s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.\u201d <\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

-Abraham Lincoln, second inaugural address<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Civil War soldiers had been mustered from towns and villages across the land. Like today, the loss of each soldier was a profound tragedy for both family and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we honor service members from all of America\u2019s past wars. But there is immediacy in our sorrow; the wounds of war are new again. As we struggle for ways to heal, Abraham Lincoln\u2019s message of almost 150 years ago can still inspire us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, then, is the mission of Memorial Day: to reach out in support of all the soldiers and their families who have sacrificed so much for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout America\u2019s history, hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens have died bravely serving our country. The number of battle deaths speak to the sacrifices our soldiers and their families have made.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

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FATALITIES FROM U.S. WARS AND CONFLICTS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
American Revolution (1775-1783)<\/strong><\/td>\n 4,435<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
War of 1812 (1812-1815)<\/strong><\/td>\n 2,260<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Mexican War (1846-1848) <\/strong><\/td>\n 13,283<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Civil War (1861-1865)<\/strong><\/td>\n 620,000<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Spanish-American War (1898-1902)<\/strong><\/td>\n 385<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
World War I (1917-1918) <\/strong><\/td>\n 116,516<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
World War II (1941-1945) <\/strong><\/td>\n 405,399<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Korean War (1950-1953) <\/strong><\/td>\n 36,574<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Vietnam War (1964-1975) <\/strong><\/td>\n 58,220<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Gulf War (1990-1991) <\/strong><\/td>\n 383<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Afghanistan War (2001-2021) <\/strong><\/td>\n 2,465<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Iraq War (2003-2012) <\/strong><\/td>\n 4,586<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":830,"menu_order":58,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-225","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nMeaning of Memorial Day | National Memorial Day Concert | PBS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the meaning of Memorial Day and why it is a day of remembrance, honor and tribute to those who sacrificed for their country.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/national-memorial-day-concert\/memorial-day\/meaning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meaning of Memorial Day | National Memorial Day Concert | PBS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn about the meaning of Memorial Day and why it is a day of remembrance, honor and tribute to those who sacrificed for their country.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/national-memorial-day-concert\/memorial-day\/meaning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"National Memorial Day Concert - 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