This Memorial Day weekend, Americans gathered with family, friends, and neighbors to celebrate the first holiday of a new summer.  But as President Barack Obama reminded us in his Memorial Day address this is not only a time for celebration, it is also a time to reflect on the meaning of this holiday; to pay tribute to those who’ve fallen in defense of our country in the 234 years since the first American soldier died in the revolutionary rebellion and to remember the servicemen and women who are currently deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.

Some 43 million Americans have served in our wars, 655,000 have died in battle and more than 1.4 million were wounded.  In the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 4,963 Americans have given their lives and an estimated 34,000 others have been wounded. continue reading » »