Today is Memorial Day, the unofficial kick-off to summer.
While we advance our holiday plans or help our young ones prepare for final exams, it?s worth remembering the thousands of men and women in harm?s way in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. They are there for us ? for you and me.
It?s also worth thinking about all of the men and women who went before them in Vietnam, Korea, World War II and World War I and many earlier wars and battles this nation fought. They went out there to advance, preserve and protect our way of life.
We are unusually fortunate in the United States. We live in a free and democratic society where almost any goal we set and pursue is possible to achieve. We can express ourselves without fear. We can practice whatever religion is right for us.
True, we have plenty of problems in this country. You need only pick up the daily newspaper to understand what we face. But the country is also packed with extraordinarily varied and gifted people capable of confronting any issue and coming up with positive solutions. They simply need to be given the opportunity to do so.
That said, we wanted to share with you some quick facts about Memorial Day and past wars that are worth recalling now and which you might find of interest:
» The National World War II Memorial will be dedicated today in Washington ? the first national monument dedicated to the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II.
» More than 16 million men and women served in World War II between Dec. 1, 1941, and Dec. 31, 1946.
» The average length of active-duty by U.S. military personnel during World War II: 33 months.
» More than 292,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines were killed in battle in World War II; 114,000 died in other ways, and 671,000 were wounded.
» It is estimated that 210,000 women were World War II veterans. These women comprised 4.4 percent of all World War II veterans.
» During the Vietnam War, 58,148 Americans were killed and 304,000 wounded of the 2.59 million who served.
» The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year.
» The average age of those killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years.
» 91 percent of Vietnam veterans say they are glad they served; 74 percent said they would serve again even knowing the outcome.
» One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. Although the percentage who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II.
» Vietnam veterans represented 9.7 percent of their generation.
» 6.8 million men and women served on active-duty during the Korean War.
» 8,176 of the Korean Ware military are still listed as missing in action; 7,140 were POWs of whom 4,418 returned from Korea.
» When the Korean War started in June 1950, women in the armed services numbered 22,000. Roughly 7,000 of these women were healthcare professionals; the rest served in line assignments in the Women?s Army Corps.
» 131 Korean War participants received the Medal of Honor.
» 16 percent of veterans serviced by veteran?s hospitals are Korean War veterans.
» Nearly 79,000 Koran veterans received disabled vocational rehabilitation.
It?s important to understand these sobering statistics and to recognize the debt we owe to these men and women for what they did for us.
This should be a great holiday weekend. Enjoy every minute, but pause a few moments along the way to remember why we are so fortunate.
Robert L. Dilenschneider is widely published, having authored eight books including, most recently, “A Time For Heroes.” He has lectured before scores of professional organizations and colleges, including the University of Notre Dame, Ohio State University, New York University and The Harvard Business School. He is founder and president of The Dilenschneider Group, a public relations firm based in New York City.
