# 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:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/21 "2015-05-27T02:50:46Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > 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. Same here. It makes far more sense than two veteran’s days, even with one of them being those who are dead. Why should I only go see the graves of veterans? The rest of my family is there, why should I overlook them? ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2015, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/22 "2015-05-27T07:44:06Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Same here. It makes far more sense than two veteran’s days, even with one of them being those who are dead. Why should I only go see the graves of veterans? The rest of my family is there, why should I overlook them? Who in the world says"overlook" your family? I would assume that the other 364 days of the year you give them a passing thought or two. Why is it such an apparent damn imposition to recognize once a damn year the selflessness of those who gave their lives for this country just because you don’t know them personally? You can’t say thank you for what our war dead sacrificed? And for one other day (Veterans Day) you can’t say Thanks to those who serve/served? Pretty selfish attitude. 2 whole days out of the year to give some thanks for them and what they’ve done for us. Wow. Just wow. Talk about self freaking centered. You be sure and let me know next time you put YOUR life on the line for some ingrate who obviously feels that special sense of entitlement that special snowflakes such as yourself do - because you certainly won’t get a Gee, Thanks! from someone like that. Sorry, everyone else - this got on my very last nerve and I just wasn’t up to maintaining. Again, I apologize. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2015, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/23 "2015-05-27T11:21:09Z")
The personal touches doesn’t really both me. I honestly hate being thanked “for my service.” I mean, what do I say? “I couldn’t get into college”? I’ve figured out I could just say “thank you for your support” and move on. I used to be bothered by the “Happy Memorial Day” stuff but, after much thought, I realized it wasn’t a big deal. The letter my best friend left behind, after he was killed in Afghanistan, said that he didn’t want somber remembrances, toasts, or anything like that. Obviously, my wife and I are sad that he was taken but we do our best to remember him by living our lives to the fullest. We went to a BBQ, took our daughter to the park, and had a good time. That’s what he would have wanted. Now, I absolutely loathe commercial “celebrating the troops,” especially in light of the fact that the military is paying them off. It just doesn’t sit well with me. ---
**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 27, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807/24 "2015-05-27T11:28:21Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > 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. > [/ul] This is a really good point. And someone upthread said that it is on Veterans Day that the wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (why they didn’t start this tradition on Memorial Day instead, I can’t possibly imagine), so they are halfway there already. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorial-day-is-not-veterans-day-part-deux/720807.md?page=1)