Memorial Day and the Oft-Forgotten Dead

The rolling hills, dappled paths, and white crosses make Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia a place of quiet repose, deep emotion, and somber reflection.

Dutifully, the nation honors its military dead there, and on this 158th Memorial Day, countless Americans will rightfully and respectfully pay homage to those who gave the last full measure of devotion in service to their nation.

However, I want to point you to those who died in defense of their country during “periods of peace” and not war.

Do you know that during the period 1950 to 1990, reasonable estimates show as many as 130,000 service members died in training or operational missions unrelated to combat or health-related causes.

Training accidents alone during the early stages of aviation killed up to half as many during World War II as those lost in combat. During the period 1970 to 90 alone, the Department of Defense estimated that as many as 50,000 servicemembers died in non-combat, non-health-related incidents.

The Cold War, from 1947 to 1991, saw major conflicts such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the First Gulf War. However, servicemembers also died in lesser-known operations, like Grenada, Beirut, the USS Liberty attack, the USS Mayaguez action, the Dominican Republic, and Panama, too.

The Marine barracks bombing in Beirut in October 1983 alone resulted in 241 servicemember deaths. Still, many others died in operations that did not make the front pages.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states formed the Warsaw Pact. They were arrogant and belligerent, and they were backed by fearsome military strength, including massive nuclear arsenals. And they often stuck their noses into places where they should not have been, waiting for the U.S. to react to their incursions and deter their ambitions.

And react we did, often in forsaken places few can point to on a map.

Yet, our warriors were there, confronting the aptly named “evil empire,” and some of our nation’s best paid the price.

As a former USAF fighter pilot who flew the F-4 Phantom II during the height of the Cold War, I personally know nine members of my flying units who were killed during routine operational missions in Europe and other places.

When you operate a 25-ton aircraft flying low-level at 600 mph in mountainous terrain, deserts, or over the ocean, in bad weather, sometimes at night, sometimes in close proximity to the bad guys, where the operational tempo is critically high, deadly incidents occur.

Please remember these folks, too.

At First Liberty, we have a dedicated legal practice area focused on protecting servicemembers’ rights to practice their faith. This vital liberty is one that those in harm’s way rely upon to sustain them through dire moments, like the loss of their brothers and sisters in arms. We must protect our shared legacy of religious faith in our armed forces, the group that is at the vanguard of protecting our way of life.

So, this Memorial Day, remember the legacy earned by all of those who served and died in defense of our rights—including those who gave all in those forgotten, less-public incidents.

David Holmes is Executive Vice President and Chief Legacy Officer for First Liberty Institute and a former fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force.

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