{"id":110323,"date":"2020-05-25T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/05\/25\/this-memorial-day-remember-the-others\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:51:28","slug":"this-memorial-day-remember-the-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2020\/05\/25\/this-memorial-day-remember-the-others\/","title":{"rendered":"This Memorial Day, remember the \u2018others\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Seventy-five years ago, a war was won. It was won because men and women were willing to sacrifice their lives so others could be free. In addition to the 291,577 U.S. service members that the Defense Department lists as World War II \u201cbattle deaths,\u201d another 113,842 are labeled \u201cother deaths in service.\u201d While Americans traditionally honor our fallen battlefield heroes on Memorial Day, the COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder that pestilence can be as deadly as bombs and bullets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Spanish American War, 60 soldiers from the all-black 24th Infantry Regiment volunteered to serve as nurses. Thirty-six would later die of yellow fever or malaria. Two decades later, the flu would kill nearly 16,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines in France. Another 30,000 American service members died in stateside camps during World War I and its immediate aftermath. These men and women could have isolated safely in their homes. But they had an important job to do. A mission to accomplish. A mission to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Service on the frontlines was a calling for Marine Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone. After earning a Medal of Honor for his heroic actions at Guadalcanal, he returned to the United States and participated in war bond tours and parades in 1943. Yet he yearned to return to the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His request to the Marine Corps was finally granted and on Feb. 19, 1945, he was killed during the invasion of Iwo Jima after leading a tank through a minefield and using his considerable fighting skills to destroy an enemy blockhouse. Memorial Day is to honor heroes like John Basilone.<\/p>\n\n\n\t