Today is Memorial Day. On this day we are supposed to remember all those brave Americans who lost their lives while serving in our armed forces during a time of war. It’s a shame that many Americans only see this holiday as an opportunity to take off from work and have a backyard family picnic. They bring dishonor on themselves by not honoring those who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for our country and its freedoms.
Below you will find a list of the major wars America has fought and the number of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who were killed and wounded in each conflict. It is because of the lives they gave in serving our country that we are able to enjoy those backyard picnics.
Revolutionary War (1775-83): 25,324 killed, 8,445 wounded
Indian Wars (1789): 6,125 killed, 2,156 wounded
War of 1812 (1812-15): 2,260 killed, 4,505 wounded
Mexican War (1846-48): 13,283 killed, 32 wounded
Civil War (1861-65): Union forces – 363,020 killed, 281,104 wounded; Confederate forces – 199,110 killed, 137,102 wounded
Spanish-American War (1898): 2,893 killed, 1,637 wounded
Philippines War (1899-1902): 4,273 killed, 2,840 wounded
World War I (1917-18): 116,708 killed, 204,002 wounded
World War II (1941-45): 408,306 killed, 670,846 wounded
Korean War (1950-53): 54,246 killed, 103,284 wounded
Vietnam War (1957-75): 58,219 killed, 153,356 wounded
Persian Gulf War (1990-91): 363 killed, 357 wounded
(Since our troops are still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, those wars are not listed.)
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