I did not know this:

Memorial Day is not actually a day to pray for U.S. troops who died in action but rather a day set aside by Congress to pray for peace. The 1950 Joint Resolution of Congress which created Memorial Day says: “Requesting the President to issue a proclamation designating May 30, Memorial Day, as a day for a Nation-wide prayer for peace.” (64 Stat.158).

(Link via Gaius)

Of course, there’s absolutely no reason not to pray for fallen soldiers and for peace!

Also, this piece from the Post wondering why we don’t like to think about World War I is worth reading. The “Great War” doesn’t lend itself to being recounted as a morality play in quite the same way that the Civil War and World War II do. Instead, it tends to highlight the pointlessness of war.