# Is Memorial Day for all Veteran or just WWII Vets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468 "2013-05-27T16:52:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468/21 "2013-05-28T16:38:43Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > My father-in-law is a Vietnam vet. He has refused to march in Memorial Day parades before. From him and other Vietnam vets, I get the impression that relatively few Vietnam vets are interested in celebrating their veteran status. Probably because it was such an unpopular war. > > I wonder if Iraq War veterans will behave similarly in the future. I am a life member of the VFW. I think it does a lot of good work in D.C. for veterans. But I have never officially joined a chapter other than the national. The big problem cited for not getting the younger crowd to participate is just the age gap. Its seen (rightly so in many instances) as an old man’s organization. And I’ve heard many chapters don’t make female vets feel welcome. I don’t know of any of my fellow vets from current wars who feel the need to hide or forget their service. Its just a generation gap. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468/22 "2013-05-28T16:59:41Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Well Memorial Day isn’t really for Veterans. It’s for those that didn’t make it back to become Veterans. Veterans Day is in November. This. Veterans often march in the parades, but the point is remembering those who didn’t come back. Veteran’s Day is for honoring those who did. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468/23 "2013-05-28T17:01:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I am a life member of the VFW. I think it does a lot of good work in D.C. for veterans. But I have never officially joined a chapter other than the national. The big problem cited for not getting the younger crowd to participate is just the age gap. Its seen (rightly so in many instances) as an old man’s organization. And I’ve heard many chapters don’t make female vets feel welcome. I don’t know of any of my fellow vets from current wars who feel the need to hide or forget their service. Its just a generation gap. This problem goes right back to the beginning; for the post-WWII situation and the history of what led up to it, see Bill Mauldin’s _Back Home_. Each generation of vets tends to be dismissive of the next. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468/24 "2013-05-28T17:34:44Z")
> [@ombre12](#): > > I realize now that our tradition was wrong historically. > > Just curious if any others had the same (wrong) idea that Memorial Day was “in memory of” as a generality. Regardless of the origin of Memorial Day, for a lot of people now it is in memory of anyone, not just service members. Visiting and cleaning family gravestones on Memorial Day is something I’ve been exposed to since the 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468/25 "2013-05-28T17:51:30Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > This problem goes right back to the beginning; for the post-WWII situation and the history of what led up to it, see Bill Mauldin’s _Back Home_. Each generation of vets tends to be dismissive of the next. Dismissive? If anything, I would think only another vet would have the strongest understanding of why _not_ to be dismissive. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468/26 "2013-05-28T18:15:39Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Dismissive? If anything, I would think only another vet would have the strongest understanding of why _not_ to be dismissive. I agree, but Mauldin spends two chapters (IIRC) on how crappily the VFW treated WWII vets - they wanted them as members, but only silent ones. Including posts above, I’ve seen comments across the years that each new generation was expected to (1) join (2) follow post and national leader directives, including voting (3) pay dues and (4) shut up. I have no first hand experience, but have read enough from trustworthy sources to believe it’s credible. ---
**Author:** ![ombre12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d26b3c/32.png) [@ombre12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ombre12)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468/27 "2013-05-29T17:58:33Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Regardless of the origin of Memorial Day, for a lot of people now it is in memory of anyone, not just service members. Visiting and cleaning family gravestones on Memorial Day is something I’ve been exposed to since the 1970s. I thought what my family did on Memorial Day (visit family graves) wasn’t that unusual for the times= 50’s through 70’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-memorial-day-for-all-veteran-or-just-wwii-vets/659468.md?page=1)