Residents Urged to Honor Fallen Veterans

Marco Island will not be hosting an official Memorial Day observance this year out of an abundance of caution due to the lingering concerns regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic, from which the nation is slowly but surely emerging. The holiday and its meaning are not far from the thoughts and minds of those who have served our nation or felt the pain of the loss of comrades and family members.

Lee Rubenstein, Commander of the local American Legion Post 404 on the island, reported that its members had taken a vote, deciding they would defer this year’s public observance, but urged citizens to take a moment out of their schedules this weekend to pause and remember those who had made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our liberties.

Some of those numbers might surprise you.

• World War I……….………116,516

• World War II………………405,399

• Vietnam……………………. 58,209

• Korea…………………………36,574

• Middle East Conflicts…..7,057

Of course, these numbers do not reflect lives lost in the American Civil War, the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, the Mexican American War, the Philippine-American War or the Spanish American War.

Citizens across the nation will visit cemeteries that are dotted across their landscapes with small flags designating the graves of men and women who have served our nation, some of whom have fallen in battle.

“We urge Marco residents to visit and pay their respects at Veterans’ Memorial Park or over at the smaller memorial located at the Marco Island Cemetery on May 31, or any time during this weekend,” said Rubenstein.

The final resting places for U.S. veterans who have fallen in battle also can be found in 10 nations overseas. It is on those shores too where brave American servicemen and women have given their lives in defense of freedom over the years. Twenty-five cemeteries can be found in those foreign lands. France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Panama, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands and Tunisia host final resting places for approximately 130,000 Americans buried at those locations, in addition to monuments to those still missing in action.

Since the end of the Korean War, the military has been making every attempt to bring home remains of service members still considered missing in action.

It was in 1971 when Memorial Day became a Federal holiday. This year it will be celebrated on Monday, May 31st.