Memorial Day: What Does Sacrifice Look Like in America Today?

By Wendi Strauch Mahoney

Every year, the last Monday of May marks Memorial Day in the United States—a solemn holiday set aside to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Cemeteries are decorated with flags, parades march through small towns, and speeches recall the courage of those who paid the ultimate price. But behind the wreaths and patriotic songs lies a question that is worth asking: Are Americans today still capable of the kind of sacrifice that Memorial Day commemorates?

The origins of Memorial Day stretch back to the Civil War, a conflict in which over 600,000 Americans lost their lives. “The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868. Then known as Decoration Day and observed on May 30, the holiday was proclaimed by Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic to honor the Union soldiers who had died in the American Civil War.” Since then, from the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan, American soldiers have made unfathomable sacrifices to defend not only territory but the ideals of liberty and justice. These weren’t just acts of personal bravery—they were reflections of a broader cultural value: the willingness to give something up for the good of others, or a cause greater than oneself.

While military service remains one of the clearest examples of national sacrifice, less than 1% of Americans currently serve in the armed forces. For most people, war and military life are distant concepts. The all-volunteer nature of the U.S. military, while effective, has unintentionally created a divide between civilians and those who serve. Fewer Americans bear the physical or emotional weight of war, and that shared sense of sacrifice has largely faded from public consciousness. 

In civilian life, too, the idea of sacrifice often takes a back seat to personal convenience, comfort, and self-interest. Technology and affluence have made daily life more comfortable, but perhaps at a cost. Sacrifice, by nature, requires discomfort. It requires choosing the harder path when it's the right thing to do. But in an era of instant gratification and endless choice, many Americans are rarely asked to truly give something up—whether time, money, or personal ease—for someone else.

This isn't to say Americans are incapable of sacrifice—many still volunteer, serve, and care deeply for their communities. But the large-scale, cultural expectation that individuals will give up something for the greater good has softened. Sacrifice has become the exception, not the norm.

Memorial Day isn’t just about looking back. It can also be a mirror. Certainly, to die for one’s country is the ultimate sacrifice, a sacrifice few of us will ever make. However, the stories of those who gave their lives in service demand more than a passing moment of appreciation—they call us to examine how we live and what we’re willing to give to others. 

So how can we integrate the spirit of sacrifice, a servant’s heart, into our daily lives? How can we more selflessly serve our spouse or our loved ones? What can we do in our communities to lend a hand? In a culture that constantly reinforces impulses and selfish pursuits, Memorial Day is a way to remind us how important it is to tolerate discomfort and make it a more frequent habit to put others’ needs before our own.