Memorial Day. May 25th, 2009. It’s just one day. Just one day for our Nation to reflect on the sacrifices so many have made in service to this great country. Just one day to reflect on the many wars in which so many have died fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today. One day to reflect on the wars we are currently fighting and the men and women we have lost and will lose while fighting them.
As we approach this Memorial Day, with thoughts turning toward the start of the summer, I hope you’ll take time to remember this country’s fallen warriors, hundreds of thousands of them, taken from us since before we became the United States of America.
{mosads}Tracing its roots to a time more than 372 years, from a time when citizens dropped their ploughs and picked up their muskets in defense of their communities, the National Guard has contributed to the roll call of fallen heroes. And today, Citizen Soldiers and Airmen continue to respond to the Nation’s call to arms.
Capt. John Parker and the 77 men of the Lexington Company of militia gathered on the Lexington Green on the morning of April 19. 1775. “Stand your ground,” Parker ordered to his men as the advance guard of a 700-man British force approached them. “Don’t fire unless fired upon. But if they want to have a war let it begin here.
Without orders, the British troops opened fire and although greatly outnumbered, the militiamen returned fire. The battle went on for several minutes. When it was over, eight Americans lay dead and nine were wounded. The Battle of Lexington would lead to the Revolutionary War and American independence.
In the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War, on the second day with bayonets fixed, 262 gallant men of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry charged a brigade of onrushing Confederates to save the day and perhaps the Union, but only 47 men were left to answer roll call that evening – a casualty rate of 82 percent.
In World War II, the National Guard was among the first to fight in both the Pacific and European theatres. At Papua, New Guinea, Michigan’s 126th Infantry led the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division in perhaps the war’s most grueling campaign. The regiment entered the campaign in September 1942 with 3,171 officers and men. Four months later, following the first modern-day defeat of the Imperial Japanese Army, only 611 officers and men remained in the battle-hardened 126th Infantry, less than a full battalion.
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the liberation of France began at 6:30 a.m. Among the first wave of troops to hit the beach were members of Virginia’s 116th Infantry of the 29th “Blue and Gray” Division, which battled its way across a fire-swept Omaha Beach. The fighting was fierce, but the 116th established an Allied beachhead that ultimately led to victory in Europe over Nazi Germany less than a year later. The cost that day was high for the 116th Infantry, as the regiment suffered more than 800 casualties.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a great toll. More than 5,000 members of our armed forces have given their lives defending freedom in the first protracted wars since the advent of the all-volunteer military. As I write this, some 582 Citizen Soldiers and Airmen from the National Guard have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of these campaigns.
The hallowed grounds of national cemeteries such as Arlington National Cemetery provide a poignant juxtaposition of Memorial Day. The annual renewal of spring contrasts starkly with the pointed reality etched on the rows and rows of white head stones. Here, and at other final resting places of our fallen warriors, is where you can capture the real essence of Memorial Day by walking among the spirits of heroes.
On May 25th, every where there is a National Guard presence – in more than 3,000 communities around the country – there will be parades, remembrances and ceremonies honoring those who have served and died for freedom’s noble cause. Take a moment to think what the day really is all about, to reflect on the lives lost in service to, and in defense of, our Nation. I also hope you’ll include in your thoughts the many families, friends and loved ones who continue to mourn their loss.
McKinley is chief of the National Guard Bureau