Memorial Day, which became a federal holiday in 1971, honors the men and women who died in combat while serving in the U.S. military.  However, as a young man, I can distinctly remember my grandparents referring to it as "Decoration Day."  On this day, they would decorate the graves of those who, like my great-great grandfather, fell at Cold Harbor.  As "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" notes, many of these soldiers "died to make us free."

Sadly, the Civil War claimed over 1.5 million casualties — more than any other conflict in American history.  Most families were touched by the horror of this war, which pitted brother against brother.  By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers to honor their service and self-sacrifice, which kept the Union intact.

Records show that one of the earliest Memorial Day commemorations was organized by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.  In 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance: "the 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land," he proclaimed.

Of course, since the Civil War, the United States has fought two World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Global War on Terror.  In all armed conflicts, we have lost a grand total of 1,354,664 recorded deaths.  To put it in perspective, each one of the fifty stars that adorns our flag represents the death of roughly 27,000 American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who paid for the freedom you enjoy today.

Our freedom has come at this terrible price, and Memorial Day is the one day we honor their sacrifice for this great Republic.  It is a sacrifice that is a true expression of selfless service — one that no one would pick for himself, and yet many willingly embraced it to ensure the freedom of future generations of Americans they would never know.

At cemeteries across the nation, families will pay their humble respects and quiet tribute to those who gave their lives so that we, the living, may be heirs to the freedoms they defended.  As we approach this sacred day, never forget what they gave so that you may live.

Fort Snelling National Cemetary.  (Photo credit: Kozarjj, CC BY-SA 4.0 license.)

Unfortunately, a "thank you for your service" can be passed on only to the living and not the dead, whom we honor on May 30, for they have departed the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of God.