I didn't know that!!!

Memorial Day is not actually a day to pray for U.S. troops who died in action but rather a day set aside by Congress to pray for peace. The 1950 Joint Resolution of Congress which created Memorial Day says: "Requesting the President to issue a proclamation designating May 30, Memorial Day, as a day for a Nation-wide prayer for peace." (64 Stat.158).

I guess this has been lost in the translation over the years. No surprise really as the United States has the largest and most aggressive standing military in the world. According to an article on "Smirkingchimp.com" by Bill Quigley, the U.S. spends over $600 billion annually on our military, more than the rest of the world combined. China, our nearest competitor, spends about one-tenth of what we spend. The U.S. also sells more weapons to other countries than any other nation in the world.

The article goes on to say that the U.S. has about 700 military bases in 130 countries world-wide and another 6000 bases in the US and our territories. The Department of Defense (DOD) reports nearly 1.4 million active duty military personnel today. Over a quarter of a million are in other countries from Iraq and Afghanistan to Europe, North Africa, South Asia and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. The DOD also employs more than 700,000 civilian employees.

The US has used its armed forces abroad over 230 times according to researchers at the Department of the Navy Historical Center. Their publications list over 60 military efforts outside the U.S. since World War II.

It doesn't appear that the United States will be getting out of the military business anytime soon. Food for thought really. See you next Memorial Day when we will morn the lose of several hundred more military personal.