# Memorial Day is not "Veterans Day, Part Deux"! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 25, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807 "2015-05-25T16:59:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/1 "2015-05-25T16:59:14Z")
I usually just grumble to myself when I see this mistake made by random yahoos. But now even the official [Marvel Twitter account](https://twitter.com/Marvel/status/602867246235394048) is perpetuating this misunderstanding! Urgh. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/2 "2015-05-25T17:31:03Z")
A couple people on my Facebook feed also seemed to be mentioning all military people they know who have served. I wonder if “fallen” isn’t clear enough. I messaged them a reminder. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/3 "2015-05-25T17:33:40Z")
Good on you! My wife has a bunch of people on her FB feed doing this, but she feels like she’d be rude to correct them. I think doing it the way you did, messaging rather than shaming them publicly, is perfect. We already have a Veterans Day, so I think it’s important to protect the distinction. ---
**Author:** ![McGuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@McGuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McGuffy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/4 "2015-05-25T18:21:01Z")
I grit my teeth…and bite my tongue (mostly). But yeah it bugs me too! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/5 "2015-05-25T18:55:45Z")
I know that today is for all dead, not just veterans. But I don’t get bent out of shape when others don’t understand that. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/6 "2015-05-25T19:04:55Z")
Thank you for thanking me but I’m not dead yet! I have already had my special day. It is the dead’s turn. ---
**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 25, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/7 "2015-05-25T19:06:16Z")
Yeah, our small town does the big parade on Mem day and IMVHBNLTO it’s way too much about living veterans. You can’t even mildly object without seeming like an anti-war hippie asshole, though. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/8 "2015-05-25T19:09:26Z")
I was just commenting to my husband this morning that Memorial day, July 4, and Veteran’s day have become indistinguishable, except for fireworks on the 4th. “Patriotism” (and I use the quotes deliberately) is very much in fashion of late, as is “Thank you for your service.” I’m a veteran. Unless you know what I did while in uniform, how do you know if you’re thanking me for something that deserves thanks?? Yeah, I’m a grouch. Deal. 😛 ---
**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 25, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/9 "2015-05-25T19:11:08Z")
I can’t bring the details to mind, but at the first memorial service in Normandy, a year after D-Day, I think, or maybe the following Memorial Day, the senior speaker - Mark Clark? - turned from the crowd and made his address to “the crosses, row by row.” I can’t think of a more significant act. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/10 "2015-05-25T19:40:17Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I was just commenting to my husband this morning that Memorial day, July 4, and Veteran’s day have become indistinguishable, except for fireworks on the 4th. I know what you mean. My town celebrates Memorial Day weekend with an annual Stars and Stripes Festival. Yeah, observing Memorial Day with a _festival._ Sets my teeth on edge, because I’d think it would be America’s _enemies_ that would have a festival to celebrate the deaths of American soldiers. There’s a perfect time to have a patriotic-themed festival. It’s coming up in less than six weeks. It’s _the Fourth of July_. OTOH, I can understand the lack of a clear demarcation between Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. Sure, you say, Memorial Day is to commemorate the fallen, and Veterans’ Day is to honor the living. BUT as far back as I can remember (\>50 years), the most distinctive Veterans’ Day observance has been the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Which of course honors the fallen rather than the living. So it’s hard for me to jump on anyone who honors living rather than dead veterans on Memorial Day. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/11 "2015-05-25T20:03:32Z")
FWIW, my Facebook feed has way more mentions of the difference between the holidays, and of veterans I know posting appropriate messages…than of people making this common mistake. So maybe there is hope. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/12 "2015-05-25T20:22:30Z")
I was on an airline flight yesterday. When we landed, the pilot wished us, “Happy Memorial Day.” Seemed inappropriate but I didn’t say anything (although I did compliment him on his flag tie). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/13 "2015-05-26T00:29:02Z")
Eh, I’m fine with honoring veterans extra. I remind my FB friends every year to not just remember people who fell on the battle field but those who lost a part of themselves out there. The ones who have to live the rest of their lives remembering what happened to their mates who didn’t come home. I know for sure it affects my dad, who has his “WHY DID I MAKE IT OUT?” moments (Vietnam) I remind people of the same on Veteran’s day. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/14 "2015-05-26T00:59:18Z")
Capt. Rogers was MIA, presumed dead. At least for a while. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/15 "2015-05-26T01:30:20Z")
I have four brothers who are Veterans, one of whom is deceased. I also have an uncle (whom I never knew) who was killed in action in WWII. Memorial Day was always for my uncle, and I’ll also now give respect to my deceased brother. The living veterans can wait until November. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/16 "2015-05-26T01:54:44Z")
I think it’s an innocent enough mistake and I wouldn’t correct anyone. But I think the way we could best honor the war dead would be to stop making more of them. Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq were all quite preventable and the human and economic costs were quite staggering. I fear the current patriotically correct climate of uniform worship makes us more likely to risk the lives of our young men and women. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/17 "2015-05-26T02:11:30Z")
Yeah, I have a few friends who get _very_ annoyed by this (and they all happen to be Veterans). But, I think the big problem is we flip flopped what the dates should have been for the two observances: [ul] [li]Memorial Day: Start of Summer, sunny weekend, trips to the beach and amusement parks. Who wants to be thinking of the dead?[/li]Living veterans are people who we can celebrate and this is a celebrating time of year. [li]Veterans Day: Early November, start of winter, nearly coinciding with EVERY OTHER CULTURE’s remembrance of the dead.[/li]It’s grey and bleak and somber and perfect for quiet reflection. [li]Screw you, Southern Hemisphere! Nobody cares what you think- you have Christmas in Summer like a bunch of assholes![/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/18 "2015-05-26T15:27:31Z")
Agreed. I’m a military retiree and know that Memorial Day isn’t for me - thankfully! I went to the Cardinals vs Diamondbacks baseball game yesterday and they spent a lot of time honoring live veterans. IMHO that’s what Veteran’s Day is for. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/19 "2015-05-26T16:36:54Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I was just commenting to my husband this morning that Memorial day, July 4, and Veteran’s day have become indistinguishable May 2nd is National Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Day. Really. May 15th is Peace Officers Memorial Day May 16th is Armed Forces Day June 6th is D-Day June 14 is Flag Day September 11th is September 11th (Patriot Day) September 27th is Gold Star Mothers’ Day December 7th is Pearl Harbor Day Pending: Drone Day, Cyber Warrior Day, Border Fence Surveillance Camera Day, Civil Forfeiture Day, No-Knock Warrant Day, September 22: Erle P. Halliburton’s birthday ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/20 "2015-05-26T17:06:39Z")
When I was in college thirty years ago, the television stations would end their broadcasts at 2am or so. The last thing they’d show was a tape showing the American flag flying with the Star Spangled Banner playing, accompanied by footage of fighter jets streaking across the sky. A friend in college was particularly annoyed by this, as it seemed to equate patriotism with militarism. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807.md?page=2)