Remember

The total number of deaths (both soldiers and civilians) from wars in the 20th and 21st centuries that the U.S. has been involved in is between 58,000,000 and 146,000,000. This does not include the number of wounded, which would be much higher. Of course, there is no way to quantify the misery and ruined lives brought about by these wars.

Here is the breakdown of deaths:

WWI: 10,000,000 - 65,000,000
WWII: 40,000,000 - 72,000,000
Korean War: 2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Vietnam: Approx. 5,400,000
Iraq War: Approx. 100,000

All of these wars could have been avoided. They were not necessary. None of these wars effectively achieved the objectives of the combatants. The conflicts could have been resolved peacefully if the leaders had chosen to take that path. Perhaps if the people had not bought into their government's war propaganda and instead refused to fight, the leaders would have been forced to deal with matters in more creative and less violent ways.

This is what I choose to remember on Memorial Day: That war is evil. That it is always a very few elite who choose to make war, but it is the common people (soldiers and civilians) who pay the terrible price. That, in war, civilian deaths nearly always far outweigh military deaths. And that millions of people--soldiers and civilians--could have lived out their lives if we had not repeatedly failed so terribly at being peacemakers.