Memorial Day once was dedicated to the solemn acknowledgments of soldiers who gave all for their countries. Now, the day has morphed into the informal kickoff of summer, devoted mainly to grilling the perfect burger, pairing it with a favored brew and maybe throwing or kicking a ball around with family and friends.

Not that there’s anything wrong with spending the day with those who we love the most.

But pardon us if we take some space to mourn for the diminishment of the day’s original intent.

After all, the still-young 21st century has seen the deaths in action of more than 7,000 U.S. military service people, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The chaotic pullout from Afghanistan in 2021, in which 13 U.S. soldiers died in a suicide-bombing attack, ended a two-decade war after which the Taliban, which presided over the country when it served as a base for Osama bin Laden as he plotted his 9/11 attack, quickly reassumed power. More than 2,200 U.S. troops died in Afghanistan alone, according to the Defense Department.

We bring up Iraq and Afghanistan because, although the conflicts are the most recent in our country’s history, they’re rarely as top of mind as the earlier wars many of us recall when we think about the valor and sacrifice of American troops. Ordinary Americans, outside of the families and friends of troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, experienced little to no impact on their daily lives due to this century’s foreign wars.

For those who pause to think about the occasion’s meaning, Memorial Day typically has evoked images like the planting of the American flag on Iwo Jima in World War II or the heroism of D-Day. The soldiers who fought in World War II endured horrors beyond belief, but they also participated in a conflict remembered as a glorious cause, defeating Nazism and ushering in the decades-long period of American dominance in world affairs and relative prosperity.

Those who fought in conflicts that ended with less convincing results — Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan — didn’t get to enjoy the recognition that came from indisputable victory. Yet their sacrifices for our country, of course, are no less valuable and every bit as worthy of our gratitude and recognition as those of the Greatest Generation.

The casualties aren’t only those who died in the wars themselves. Suicides of military veterans have risen in recent years. As of 2021, more than 30,000 veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq had ended their own lives, more than four times the fatalities in the conflicts.

It’s tempting to try to discern common threads behind these individual tragedies, but probably unwise. Every suicide is its own story.

Still, we can do our parts. In the aftermath of Memorial Day, if you know someone who served whom you haven’t heard from in awhile, maybe call or text them and see how they are doing. And maybe add a word of two of thanks.

Let’s not forget our 21st century veterans and honor them for their invaluable service. Long may they live and prosper.

— Chicago Tribune via TNS