In Honor of Memorial Day...

 Bivouac of the Dead

The muffled drum's sad roll has beat
The soldier's last tattoo;
No more on Life's parade shall meet
That brave and fallen few.

Read about this famous poem that graces many military cemeteries and learn about the poet Theodore O'Hara from Dept. of Veterans Affairs 

A couple stunning new books about war: War by Sebastian Junger is the author's account of his time with an infantry platoon serving in Afghanistan in 2007/08, and THE MUST READ BOOK THIS YEAR is Matterhorn by Vietnam Veteran Karl Marlantes, a riveting portrayal of a group of soldiers doing battles with the enemy,  the jungle, and themselves during the Vietnam War. (I could only read a chapter at a time it was so intense.)  Read the review of Matterhorn by Sebastian Junger.  

To remember the brave men and women who have served our country check out this article from the Washington Post about The Best Lesser Known War Memorials

At War is the sobering and stunning blog from reporters with the NY Times

The History of Memorial Day from History.com