To the editor:

One hundred and fifty years ago, the U.S. was on the verge of tearing itself apart. During the four-year Civil War, more than 600,000 American soldiers died while doing their duty. The Memorial Day observance originates from this bloody struggle, and I surmise that the founders of this holiday had no intention of glorifying the horrors of war, but rather wanted to honor those who had given their “last full measure of devotion.”

Today our country is again at war and Americans are dying for what some believe is an equally noble cause. Indeed, the Journal-World reminded us on page 8A of Friday’s paper that three American soldiers, along with at least 66 Iraqis were killed this past week. That a story like this should be relegated off the front page and replaced with stories about fireworks and gender issues ought to make us pause this Memorial Day about our “resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”