Gtcotr/ss052911
Memorial Day, which many of us will observe tomorrow, is the time we set aside to commemorate those who died while in military service to the United States of America. It is an important holiday to those of us who have lost family members, friends and comrades in arms. Beginning in 1775 with the American Revolution until today, our proud nation has championed causes of freedom and justice in every generation, offering our bravest and our best in defense of our chosen causes.
To give you an idea of the numbers of our brave men and women from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, who have lost their lives while serving in defense of our freedoms, allow me to show you these figures:
US Casualties of War 1775 – Present
(A total of 65 declared wars, conflicts, and deployments)
(Source: Wikipedia online )
Wounded 1,529,230
Killed In Action 1,343,812
Missing In Action 38,159
Wars ranked by combat deaths (top ten ranked)
| Rank | War | Years | Deaths |
| 1 | 1937–1945 | 291,557 | |
| 2 | 1861–1865 | 212,938 | |
| 3 | 1917–1918 | 53,402 | |
| 4 | 1955–1975 | 47,355 | |
| 5 | 1950–1953 | 33,746 | |
| 6 | 1775–1783 | 8,000 | |
| 7 | 2001–present | 4,295 | |
| 8 | 1812–1815 | 2,260 | |
| 9 | 1846–1848 | 1,733 | |
| 10 | 1785–1795 | 1,221+ |
Wars ranked by total US military deaths combat & other
| Rank | War | Years | Deaths | Deaths per Day | |
| 1 | 1861–1865 | 625,000 | 599 | ||
| 2 | 1941–1945 | 405,399 | 416 | ||
| 3 | 1917–1918 | 116,516 | 279 | ||
| 4 | 1955–1975 | 58,151 | 26 | ||
| 5 | 1950–1953 | 36,516 | 45 | ||
| 6 | 1775–1783 | 25,000 | 11 | ||
| 7 | 1812–1815 | 20,000 | 31 | ||
| 8 | 1846–1848 | 13,283 | 29 | ||
| 9 | 2001– present | 5,491 | 2 | ||
| 10 | 1899–1913 | 4,196 | 1 |
Average US Military Deaths per Day 1775 to present:
1775 – Present 236 Years 86,199 Days
Total US Military Deaths Since 1775 1,343,812 Deaths
Average Deaths per Day 1775 - Present 15.6 Deaths per Day
Since 1775 until today, the United States of America has averaged deploying its military forces to fight at least one new war or armed conflict every three and one half years. The need to process war has always been and will always be present in every generation and without the brave men and women of our nation who stand willing and ready to defend our freedoms, the United States of America, along with the values we so dearly hold and the benefits we so greatly enjoy would long ago have ceased to exist.
War has been a big part of our nation’s history and will no doubt continue to be for as long as time remains. Those who imagine a utopian society where war and famine, sickness and disease, poverty and stupidity no longer exist are fooling themselves.
Greed, lust, envy, hatred, wickedness and other base carnal appetites of man existed long before there was a United States of America and in fact since the beginning of mankind on planet earth, men have been involved in war … war as a result of something man did not start and a war which man cannot end.
For the most part, war is always between good and evil – the good guys and the bad buys … you know the stories, you’ve seen the movies, you’ve read your history. In every age there are evil men, destitute of common good and bent on destruction of one sort or another. However, these men are but puppets on the world’s stage, playing the parts they are given by the forces of evil which hate good and hate righteousness and hate God.
It might surprise us to realize that although the United States of America has lost an average of 15 people per day, every day, since we first decided to break free from the tyranny and injustice of those who claimed control of our destiny, there is a far greater war which has been fought for far longer and claimed far more lives each day than any one nation has ever lost.
The war I speak of and the losses we should all remember is the war this world wages against the Christian and the Kingdom of God. According to the Alliance Defense Fund’s reports, 165,000 Christians are martyred each year worldwide for nothing more than their acceptance of Jesus as Messiah and their refusal to deny His Lordship over their lives. 165,000 per year equals 30 people per day – twice as many people killed per day for their faith in Jesus than were lost over that time in our nation’s wars.
And to note: This war against the Christian and the Gospel of Jesus has been going on for more than 2000 years, and its casualties aren’t limited to men and women, but even children are tortured, beheaded, burnt and cut asunder by the evilly inspired puppets of satan and this world system. As well, those who have lost their lives for Christ sake are often killed by the very people they are helping to free from the horrors of this world.
We live in a world gone mad … and we can ill afford to forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms and those who died trying to set others eternally free from the terror which awaits souls without Christ in the afterlife.
How should we remember those who have honorably fallen in defense of their faith and their king? Turn with me to 2 Samuel 1.
Approximately one thousand years before Christ, the nation of Israel had its first king, King Saul. Saul was a good looking, capable man whom God chose to lead His children.
Through the process of time King Saul chose a man to be the Supreme Commander of all of the armies of Israel – you know this man as David – but many during those initial years knew him as Captain. David served in Saul’s military for several years reaching great acclaim and leading his armies to victory after victory against every enemy of the kingdom.
Captain David greatly loved his Commander in Chief, King Saul, and loyally protected him with his very life. The interaction between King Saul and Captain David is a wonderful account with teaches principles of truth throughout the book of First Samuel. If you are familiar with the story, records reveal that King Saul and Captain David came to a parting of the ways however, David never forgot his place and never lost his loyalty to God’s chosen leader of the nation.
Through years and series of events King Saul and his son, Jonathan, went to battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, which sits beside the city of Jezreel, alongside the Valley of Jezreel. As the battle raged, both King Saul and Jonathan were slain by the hands of their enemies.
Even though many saw this as an opportunity for David to finally be vindicated and take the throne, David saw it differently. In 2 Samuel 1, we find one of the first memorial days remembered anywhere – it is a memorial to King Saul and his son, Jonathan, who stood their ground, fought for what they believed in, and gave their life as a willing sacrifice to the cause. Let’s read this memorial – it is called: “The Song of the Bow”.
2 Samuel 1
17 ¶ Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,
18 and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:
19 "The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath, Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon — Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 "O mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return empty.
23 "Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.
24 "O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women.
27 "How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!"
2 Samuel 2
1 ¶ It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."
2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, "The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul."
5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.
6 "And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing.
