From 1754 to 2009, American soldiers have fought and died to preserve the blessings of liberty. On this Memorial Day, I present a roll call of the honored dead.
by Michael Naragon
The French and Indian War – Est. 3,000 killed on British/American side. Those who fought and died for the British Empire in America ensured that the colonies would be free to develop as British subjects. The war was the precursor to the Revolution of 1775.
The Revolutionary War – 25,324 killed. They gave the ultimate sacrifice to establish what became the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Men like Washington, Jefferson, and Madison were free to draft the Constitution of the United States because of the spilled blood of those patriots.
Indian Wars – 6,125 killed.
Franco-American Naval War – 20 killed.
Barbary Wars – 35 killed. America’s first run-in with pirates. Our nation, at that time, did not negotiate with terrorists.
The War of 1812 – 2,260 killed. The new nation was tested by its old master, and the result was much the same.
Marquesas Islands – 4 killed.
West Indies – 3 killed.
Sumatra – 2 killed.
Texas War of Independence – 704 killed. American patriots, much like their forefathers in the colonies, fought against an oppressive government. Men like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis died in the fight to make Texas an independent nation.
The Mexican War - 13,283 killed. When Texas was officially annexed by the United States, the Mexican government, which had never recognized Texan independence, declared war.
Fiji – 1 killed.
Texas Border Cortina War – 5 killed.
The War Between the States – Union: 363,020 killed, Confederacy: 199,110 killed. The building dispute over the power of the federal government came to a head when several states seceded from the Union. Heroes on both sides were lost, including Thomas Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart.
Japan – 5 killed.
Formosa – 1 killed.
Mexico (1870) - 1 killed.
Korea – 4 killed.
The Spanish-American War – 2,893 killed. After the explosion of the battleship Maine, the U.S. went to war with Spain. Fighting ranged around the world, from Cuba and San Juan Hill to the Philippines.
Philippines War – 4,273 killed. After the Spanish-American War, the U.S. was forced to deal with a rebellion by Philippine nationalist Emilio Aguinaldo.
Samoa - 4 killed.
Boxer Rebellion (China) – 53 killed.
Moro Campaigns – 130 killed.
Dominican Republic (1904) – 1 killed.
Mexico (1911-1919) - 19 killed. The U.S. sent troops to deal with border unrest, including the raids of Pancho Villa.
Nicaragua – 5 killed.
Haiti – 146 killed.
Dominican Republic (1916-1922) – 144 killed.
World War I - 116,708 killed. The United States, after making a concerted attempt to remain neutral, entered the European war after the cruise liner Lusitania was sunk by German U-boats and after the interception of the Zimmerman telegram, in which Germany attempted to enlist the help of Mexico against the U.S. American involvement, and the loss of American life, helped save the city of Paris and turned the tide of battle against the Central Powers.
Russia North Expedition (1918-1919) - 246 killed.
Russia Siberia Expedition (1918-1920) – 170 killed.
China Yangtze Service – 5 killed.
Nicaragua (1927-1932) – 136 killed.
North Atlantic Naval War (1941) – 141 killed. Sailors were killed in escort of British and American transport ships, months before the U.S. officially became involved in World War II.
Pearl Harbor (1941) – 2,388 killed. Thousands of sailors were lost before the U.S. officially became involved in the war hours later. Many of those killed were aboard the U.S.S. Arizona, that exploded and sank in the harbor.
World War II – 408,306 killed. The finest hour of our greatest generation. American lives were spent in the defense of freedom throughout the world. Men fought and died in Europe, Asia, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. Of the many battles waged by American soldiers, the most notable were Okinawa (13,000 Americans killed), Iwo Jima (6,891), and Normandy (1,465).
Italy Trieste – 6 killed.
China Civil War – 12 killed.
The Korean War – 54,246 killed. U.S. forces, under the auspice of the United Nations, invaded Korea to liberate the South from the Communist North. After three years of fighting and intervention by the Chinese, the U.S. reestablished the border at the 38th parallel.
Matsu and Quemoy – 3 killed.
The Vietnam War – 58,219 killed. President Eisenhower committed 2,000 American soldiers to South Vietnam to act as advisors, training the South Vietnamese forces to fight their Communist counterparts in the North. President Kennedy committed 16,000 more advisors during his presidency. Lyndon Johnson committed the U.S. to the conflict after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, but never allowed the military to fully act against the North Vietnamese, afraid of a Russian or Chinese response. In January of 1968, the Vietnamese lunar new year called Tet, 7,040 American soldiers were killed in Viet Cong attacks. The U.S. forces were successful in virtually eradicating the VC at Tet, and the battle should have been hailed as a stunning victory. However, media in the U.S. portrayed the incident as a failure, and public opinion continued to turn steadily against the war.
Lebanon (1958 – 1984) – 268 killed.
Cuba (1962) – 9 killed.
Panama Canal Riots – 4 killed.
Dominican Republic (1965-1966) – 59 killed.
South Korea (1966 – 1969) – 89 killed.
Israeli attack on U.S.S. Liberty (1967) – 34 killed.
Operation Desert One (Iran, 1980) – 8 killed. The failed attempt of the Carter Administration to free the American hostages held by extremists in Tehran. The administration set guidelines and regulations on the U.S. forces, making the mission far more difficult than it would normally have been.
Terrorism (1980 – 1991) – 28 killed.
Grenada – 19 killed.
Beirut, Lebanon - 19 killed.
El Salvador – 20 killed.
Honduras – 1 killed.
Libya – 2 killed.
Persian Gulf (1987) – 148 killed.
Panama - 40 killed.
Operation Desert Storm, Persian Gulf – 363 killed. U.S. forces swept into Iraq and Kuwait, freeing that nation from Iraqi occupation.
Operation Restore Hope, Somalia – 8 killed.
World Trade Center (1993) - 6 killed.
Oklahoma City (1995) – 168 killed.
Saudi Arabia (1995) – 7 killed.
Terrorism (1995 – 2000) – 77 killed.
Saudi Arabia (1996) – 19 killed.
U.S.S. Cole – 17 killed.
Flight 93 (Sept. 11, 2001) – 44 killed.
World Trade Center (Sept. 11, 2001) – 2,974 killed, including 366 police and firefighters.
Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan (2001) – 89 killed.
Operation Enduring Freedom (2002 – 2004) – 76 killed.
Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003 – 2009) – 4300 killed. Americans, despite opposition from the media and liberals in the government, continue to fight for the freedom of Iraq and protect the United States from those who would seek our destruction.
On this day set aside for remembrance of our fallen heroes, let us do so with the somber knowledge that our freedom to celebrate this day–to picnic, to visit with family, to enjoy a quiet night at home–was purchased at the cost of many lives. Let us thank God for their willingness to sacrifice themselves for an ideal they viewed as greater than themselves, to keep America as that shining city set on a hill, an example for the world. Let us also pray that God gives us the strength to keep it so.
Beautiful, and very powerful
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Josef Stalin said, “One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.” The numbers presented here were not meant to reduce our honored dead to an easily digestible statistic.
Each one of the men represented by these numbers was a father, husband, son, friend. Each woman represented was a mother, wife, daughter, friend.
Individually, they meant the world to someone. Collectively, they mean liberty for a nation. There are no insignificant numbers when it comes to those who gave all to keep us free.
Original post by mattusmaximus
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