This whole comment is so well put.
My Grandfathers knew why they were fighting the Japanese Empire, but my cousin has no idea what the fuck he is still doing in Fallujah.
That is incredibly poignant, and tragic, at the same time!
Perhaps if we spent a day every year remembering the importance of what our veterans have done and why, we would be less interested or supportive of putting the lives of our men and women at risk for things that have little or no bearing on the American people.
What makes me upset is that supposedly we have days to do that--and they've just been turned into sales events, like every other holiday. It's upsetting to me to see the actual meanings and points of holidays and days of remembrance obscured by consumerism :( "We watch it happen 'over there' / and then just turn it off" and go shopping...
This is one of the main reasons that I love Victory Day in Russia. Everyone participates or relaxes. They aren't out shopping (except to buy hats, ribbons and flags). Meanwhile, they have military parades with a military that is AT HOME and not off in some obscure place fighting "terrorism".