Important to remember distinctions:
Memorial Day: for those who died in service
Veteran's Day: for all veterans who served
Armed Forces Day: for those currently serving
Lately I've been immersed in reading about WWI history. What a fubar'd time. Such waste of lives all around. And our US forces simply weren't trained at a level that prepared them for much else other than slaughter. Going to Flanders battlefields this fall and wanted to learn more about theatre of battle before heading over. Scary part is that given current events and all the nationalism around the globe, it's easy to see the parts fitting into place where it could all happen again.
I didn't lose any direct relatives in any war that I know of, although dad & uncles served in WWII. Still, it was weird seeing my family name on the plaque of those killed on the USS Arizona when I was in Pearl Harbor. Never did figure out a connection between that soldier and my lineage.
It is the ultimate sacrifice. And well worth at a minimum, a moment or two of reflection.