Memorial Day Shows

I've recently been reading the Huffington Post, and yesterday there was an article with military statistics that really startled me. I have copied those statistics in today's editorial.

Memorial Day is next Monday, and most of us will have fun plans for the holiday weekend, enjoying the first taste of summer, hitting the mall to grab a bargain in the sales, entertaining with friends or family, or just relaxing at home. It's a part of what the Memorial Day weekend is all about. 

The other part, as we all know, is about honoring this country's fallen heroes. We live in the greatest nation in the world only because time and time again, brave men and women have been willing to fight for the freedoms we all too often take for granted.

I was shocked to read that right now, the U.S. has 1,473,900 men and women on active duty. Nearly 10,000 are in Afghanistan and Iraq. Others are deployed as follows:

Japan: 49,396
Germany: 38,491
South Korea: 28,500
Kuwait: 11,865
Italy: 11,354
United Kingdom: 9,124
Guam: 5,501
Bahrain: 3,373
Spain: 2,170
Turkey: 1,518
Belgium: 1,216
Cuba: 727
Portugal: 617
Qatar: 610
British Indian Ocean Terr: 546
Greece: 396
Honduras: 378
Netherlands: 375
Saudi Arabia: 322
United Arab Emirates: 321
Thailand: 288
Egypt: 280
South Africa: 221
Singapore: 188
Australia: 182
Puerto Rico: 147
Greenland: 141
Canada: 132

There's really only one word that came to my mind when I read those statistics, and that was "wow!" I had no idea so many of our troops were posted overseas - other than the obvious, of course, which we hear about in the news.

Memorial Day is said to have begun as an occasion to honor those who fought and perished in the Civil War, but after World War I, this was changed to include the service people of all American wars. In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day.

We have lost 1,010,485 men and women in combat since our nation was founded 239 years ago, and on Memorial Day we honor them, along with all of those who defend us now against the threat of global terrorism.

Joy and I have put together a list of Memorial Day shows, which you can listen to by clicking on the link below:

Memorial Day Shows

Or, for a non-stop selection of poignant military shows, you can listen to the World at War radio station at:

RUSC Radio - World At War

Finally, please let Joy and I wish you a great weekend, but let's never forget the courageous men and women who have served and sacrificed so much in past, so we could enjoy this holiday, just as we honor those who stand duty today to keep us safe.

Happy listening my friends,