Memorial Day

Never Forget

This Memorial Day, May 26th, we pause to remember the service members who gave their lives in defense of our Nation. Their sacrifice is not just a matter of history—it is the foundation of the freedom we enjoy and the responsibility we share. We owe them more than words. We owe them our understanding, our gratitude, and our commitment to remember.

Memorial Day was born from remembrance. What began after the Civil War as “Decoration Day”, honoring Union dead with flowers laid at their graves, evolved into a National Day of Tribute to all Americans who fell in our nation’s wars to honor these men and women who gave what President Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.”

The mission of the Military Reading Room is rooted in that same devotion to memory and meaning. By studying military history, we not only trace the arc of conflicts and strategy, but we honor the lives of those who served and sacrificed. Through stories of valor, hardship, leadership, and loss, we remember not just what happened, but why it matters. History brings their sacrifices into focus, helping us understand the high cost of freedom and the enduring values they fought to defend.

For those of us who have worn the uniform, service is both a duty and a privilege. As citizen-defenders of our Great Republic—approaching its 250th year of independence this coming this July 4^th, we are proud to have done our part. But Memorial Day is not about us. It is about “them” the ones who never returned, whose silence we honor with remembrance.

Let us never forget.

Military Reading Room