Remember those you gave their lives for our freedom.
Remembering the Real Meaning of Memorial Day
Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us, and the yard is buzzing here at The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. People are visiting their storage units, retrieving their barbecue grills and beach chairs in preparation for the big weekend. As I watch the busy storage yard activity, it occurs to me that many of our tenants and quite a few of our employees are veterans.
Oftentimes we so get wrapped up in big holiday weekend plans with BBQs and beach time, that we forget the real reason for many holidays, including Memorial Day – A day to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. To help put things in perspective, below are casualty statistics from the greatest battles in US history.
Highest Casualty Battles in U.S.History
- Battle of Meuse-Argonne World War I: 26,277
- Battle of the Bulge (WW2) 19,276
- Battle of Okinawa (WW2) 12,513
- Battle of Gettysburg (Civil) 7,863
- Battle of Guadalcanal (WW2) 7,099
- Battle of Iwo Jima (WW2) 6,821
- Antietam (Civil) 3,654
- Battle of Shiloh (Civil) 3,482
- Bull Run II (Civil) 3,000
- Battle of Saipan (WW2) 2,949
Some famous battles that do not make the list:
Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor: 2,403
Tet Offensive Vietnam War: 1536
Invasion of Normandy (WW2) 1,465
So, as you’re biting into that hamburger, and cooling off with a cold one, take a moment to remember those who gave their lives, to preserve our American way of life. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and God Bless America!