![Sophomore Mason Lee encompasses the persona of his character, Enjolras, during a rehearsal of Act One. I think [rehearsals are] going well and were very on track [with the squedule]... which is good, Student Assistant Director senior Neena Tavik, who is also playing Eponine, said. (Courtesy Sasha Rotton)](https://www.wjpitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/24466917-801C-45FE-A882-D818DABBDCB8-600x451.jpg)
![Since the collapse of the Baltimore Bridge in late March, federal law enforcement has began investigating what preceded the event. In a statement to CBS News, a spokesperson for the FBI said, [The] FBI is present aboard the cargo ship Dali conducting court authorized law enforcement activity. There is no other public information available and we will have no further comment. (Courtesy Isaac Smay via Flickr)](https://www.wjpitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/53619368036_399400003a_b-600x400.jpg)
Out of the 35 conflicts the U.S. has been involved in, 22 have been wars. There have been approximately 1,319,938 reported U.S. deaths in those conflicts. According to the website Military Factory, that adds up to 1,319,938 families affected, 1,319,938 dreams lost, 1,319,938 names inscribed on memorials. There’s only one U.S. holiday that celebrates the many deaths caused by war, and we celebrated it as a nation on May 25. However, a day with such a grave origin has been overshadowed by pool openings and transformed into a day of barbecues and parties.
Other countries, such as Israel, celebrate Memorial Day very differently. On Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, a siren sounds all over the country at the same time for one minute. For that minute, every single person in Israel stops what they are doing and silently stays still, remembering the fallen. Now, Israel is different from the U.S., especially considering they have mandatory military service, so practically everyone there knows someone that has died in war. But the sentiment is still the same. They take a minute to remember those who have died, while in the U.S. the original message has been overshadowed by the unofficial start of summer.
You probably didn’t spend more than a minute thinking about those who have died serving our country two weeks ago. Instead, your thoughts were on hot dogs and bikinis and the fact that we had no school. But that isn’t fair to those lost lives; they deserve remembrance, gratitude and some seriousness. And we should also think about their families, and the sadness they felt when they lost their husband, wife, father, mother, brother or sister. We should honor their lives and their service. I’m not saying you should stop having fun, since it is a long weekend. But maybe, instead of focusing completely on pool openings and barbecues and sales at stores next year, take a moment to honor our fallen soldiers.
