Memorial Day is a time to remember the men and women who have given their lives while serving in the U.S. armed forces and to reflect on the freedoms made possible for Americans because of their sacrifices.
Since the Revolutionary War, there have been more than 1 million American war and military operations casualties, according to an April 2017 report from the Congressional Research Service.
And while Memorial Day has become a time for many Americans to travel, cook out or celebrate with loved ones, for those who have served, it's a day to reflect and remember the fallen.
Tim Lazzare, a 69-year-old veteran from Chattanooga, was drafted into the U.S. Army when he was 21. He was sent to Vietnam in 1969 and worked as a wireman for the Military Assistance Command advisers on the Cambodian-Vietnam border.
While Lazzare said his experience in Vietnam was "not fun" and that he had to "leave that stuff behind," he shared camaraderie with the people he served alongside, some of whom were only 18 or 19 years old.
He said he was part of "the luckiest group to ever walk the Earth" - he didn't know anyone personally who died in combat.
"Memorial Day is to remember all of the people that fought for this country and do the right thing, or what they think is doing the right thing," Lazzare said recently at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1289 on Lee Highway. "It's a day that we honor all the other people."
Chris Forsythe, a 28-year-old Army veteran from Florida who served from 2009-2012 in Afghanistan, said he knew eight or nine people killed in the line of duty. For him, today is a day to pay tribute to them.
"I've seen a lot of bad things happen - things get blown up we've had bullets come crackin' by our heads and our necks, I've had [rocket-propelled grenades] blow up in front of my vehicle, I've had [improvised explosive devices] blow up on the side of the road," Forsythe said.
"The overall thing, it wasn't really about a war or nothing. It's about the brotherhood, the person to your left or to your right," Forsythe said. "Basically, they become family, and we just had to take care of each other and that's all we cared about."
Forsythe sustained multiple injuries from his time in the infantry, including the loss of menisci in his knees, a cracked collarbone and pinched nerves. He emphasized the importance of remembering "those that have gone before us" on Memorial Day, as well as celebrating life.
"It's a day of everybody getting together and just being thankful that they're alive, remembering those giving their lives for change, trying to make the world better for the rest of us," Forsythe said. "Everybody just needs to remember what it's taking and what has happened in order for us to be at where we're at today."
Lazzare's friend, former Marine Robert Shivo, said it's a day of remembering the fallen. Celebration should be reserved for Veterans Day, he said.
"Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know," Shivo said. "[Veterans] have missed graduations, birthdays, dance recitals, graduations and holidays. But we do it for the love of the country and our love of brotherhood. We all raise our hand for our country, but some give the ultimate sacrifice."
MEMORIAL DAY FACTS
• One of the first verified observances was in Columbus, Miss., on April 25, 1866.• Grand Army of the Republic Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared Decoration Day should be observed on May 30.• Approximately 25 places, including Macon and Columbus, Ga.; Carbondale, Ill.; Richmond, Va.; and Boalsburg, Pa., claim to be birthplace of first Memorial Day.• In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., as the holiday’s birthplace.• After World War I the holiday expanded to honor dead from all wars, not just the Civil War.• Congress declared it a national holiday in 1971.• Gen. Logan’s original order to establish the holiday declares: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. … Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverant visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Memorial Day events
› The Chattanooga Area Veterans Council will hold its annual Memorial Day service today at 11 a.m. at Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Ave.› “Patriotic Pops on the Greenway” will take place at 7 p.m. in Cleveland,› For a list of all Memorial Day events, visit timesfreepress.com/chattanooganow.