Memorial day

Memorial day has been little tough for me for nearly 50 years. For those of you that came home many of us know it was mostly luck and in some cases just the luck of the draw.

I would like to list my three friends I left behind and tell you I think of them often.

Thomas P. Smith my best buddy, who would have been president or at least a Senator of Michigan. Larry Mahon, of Texas who I probably owe my life more then once. (a snake eater in the first degree) 1965
Dewayne Pittman Shelby Iowa. A buffalo hunter (Slick door gunner) 1966. and last but never least my father SGT Robert William Wier (Bronz star, ww11) these and all those who gave all or left parts of themselves on battle fields and dirty ditches, deserts or jungles in far off lands. and to all the following.

Veterans and supporters (Not necessarily perpetrators) of our history.

Revolutionary War 1775-1783
4455 dead
6188 wounded

Barbary Wars 1805-1883
35 dead
64 wounded

War of 1812
2260 dead
4405 wounded

Indian wars 1813-1890
1000 dead
( I prefer to call this the war of theft and extermination) Estimated Native American deaths 3 to 5 million counting desiese and starvation.

Mexican War 1846-1848
13,283 total deaths 1733 in battle
4152 wounded

War of Aggression (Civil war) 1861-1865
North deaths 364,511 (140,414 Battlefield)
South 133,812
North wounded 281,881
South wounded (unknown)

Spanish/American war 1898
2,446 deaths (385 battle)
1662 wounded

Philippines 1899-1901
4200 deaths
2,800 wounded

Mexico 1914-1919
21 deaths + 35 U.S. Civilans

wwl 1917-1918
116,516 dead (53 402 battle)
20402 wounded

WWll 1941-1945
405,399 dead
670,846 wounded

Berlin air lift 1948-1949
31 deaths
0 wounded

Korean War 1950-1953
36,574 deaths
103,284 wounded

Vietnam 1965-1975 ("Military advisers" were in country as early as 1950)
58,220 deaths
153,303 wounded

Grenada 1983
19 dead
116 wounded

Panama 1989-1990
23 dead
232 wounded

Haiti 1994-1996
4 dead

I am listing all the middle east wars as one long war (personal view)

Lebanon 1982-1984
Persian Gulf 1987 = present
Gulf war
Iraq/Kurdistan
Somali
Bosnia
"War on Terror'
Afghanistan
Iraq etc.

Total revield dead 12,751 including pentagon and twin towers.

For all of the above may God bless you. My Familys sincere thank you. and a special thank you to all the suffering familys of those who suffered past and present. Sincerely Michael, Annette, Kyle and Morgan Wier.