Thank You.

This weekend I have been burdened to truly stop and thank God for the sacrifice that was made by so many men and women who served country in the armed forces.  Today, I am especially burdened when I think of the families who have lost their father, mother, brother, sister, husband or wife as well as all who knew a particular soldier who died. In years past I had taken Memorial Day lightly. I don't personally know anyone who died in service of our country, so sadly my attention was on the day off from work or school, the picnics, the sales, etc.  I'm not sure why this year it has caught my attention again, but it has.  


I'm sad to think that I never knew just how many men and women were killed in the line of duty. So this morning I did a little internet research and finally found a list. As a disclaimer, I'm not sure where this person found this information, so don't sue me if it's wrong.  I was absolutely blown away to see this number: 766,411  men and women have lost their lives serving this country.


Today, I am thanking God for the sacrifice of 766,411 men and women. I am honoring their memory by praying for the families and friends left behind. I am praying for resolution to the current wars and for protection over the soldiers who are in the line of duty. I am not taking today lightly, and I hope that you will consider doing the same.

From the blog "ImperfectParent.com" 
The following is a list of past wars and the numbers of soldiers that perished:

American Revolution (1775 - 1783)
4,400 American Soldiers died

War of 1812 (1812 - 1815)
2,300 American soldiers died

Civil War (1861 - 1865)
134,000 American soldiers died

Spanish-American War (April 25, 1898 - April 12, 1898)
2,500 American soldiers died

WWI (1914 - 1918)
117,000 American soldiers died

WWII (1939 - 1945)
407,000 American soldiers died

Korean War (1950 - 1953)
36,500 American soldiers died

Vietnam War (1965 - 1974)
58,000 American soldiers died

Persian Gulf War (August 1990 - April 1991)
148 American soldiers died

Afghani War (October 2001 - Present)
Approximately 493 American soldiers have died and the number continues to rise as the conflict still continues...

Iraq War (March 2003 - Present)
Approximately 4,070 American soldiers have died and the number continues to rise as the conflict continues...