I love that there are specific days set aside during the calendar year to celebrate our soldiers and the sacrifice they (and their families!!) make for their service. But there is a large number of people who have either forgotten or were never taught what each of these holidays is for.
While I know my husband is always grateful for a “thank you for your service” when it is thrown his way, that sentiment is more appropriate for Veterans Day than Memorial Day.*
Because he was one of the lucky ones who came home.
You see, Memorial Day is a day that is set aside to honor those who served and paid the ultimate price – their lives. The day is meant to take some time and think about where we would all be and how our lives might be different if there weren’t brave troops willing to lay down their lives to fight for our values, our beliefs, and our way of life. I can’t even just say “fight for our country” anymore because so many have given their lives while trying to help other countries and other peoples. Veterans Day is the day that is set aside for honoring any who have served.
Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday in May while Veteran’s Day is always November 11th. Memorial Day was declared an official holiday in 1971 while Veterans Day is reported to have started out as Armistice Day to honor the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. In 1954, the word “armistice” was replaced with “Veterans” and the holiday was official.
* I don’t mean to imply that you shouldn’t thank a soldier for their service. Please do every time you see one! Just don’t only do it on Memorial Day.
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