It’s become an annual tradition for me to post on Memorial Day. Since shortly after the Civil War families of those who were killed in war have felt the need to commemorate their sacrifices. Since 1868 it has been a national holiday, now celebrated on the 4th Monday of May. Last year I noted that 4083 of our young men and women have died in Iraq since 2003. The number is now 4300.

That is, in a sense, good news in that only 217 have died in the last year, but that’s of little consolation to their families. The major focus of the war is moving to Afghanistan and I’m having a hard time finding a web page that tracks casualties there.

Regardless, it’s a good day to thank a veteran.

Today is the annual commemoration of Memorial Day. It used to be celebrated on May 30th but now it has been moved to the last Monday of May. When I wrote this tribute last year, we had lost 3455 troops in Iraq. As I write this we’ve lost 4083. I pray next year the number will be dramatically smaller. It’s a good day to thank a vet.