Each year on November 11, the United States celebrates Veterans Day to honor those men and women who made the selfless sacrifice to serve our country as a member of the Armed Forces. Ten out of 20 students at Kelly Walsh knew the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day. It is important that citizens across the United States understand the difference between these two important national holidays. Those who have served in the United States military deserve the respect of the citizens across America.

According to the United Service Organization, Memorial Day is defined as, “Honoring Those Who Died in Military Service.”  Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of every May. Veterans Day, on the other hand, is defined as, “Honoring All Those Who Served in the Military” (Hedayat). Each day is equally important and should be recognized by all United States citizens.

Connor Stoysich, a senior at Kelly Walsh High School, understood the difference between the two holidays. “I think that it is important to recognize both holidays as a time of mourning and gratitude towards our service members, dead or alive. I think that many people confuse them because the overall theme of both of the holidays is gratitude towards members of our military so I think many people don’t look deeper into it,” said Stoysich.

Junior Addison Thompson believed citizens should know the difference between the two holidays. “Memorial Day is honoring the people that lost their lives for our country. They should be recognized for what they did. Their family lost them because they were fighting for the country. Veterans have an important role, but they didn’t lose their lives,” said Thompson.

Along with Stoysich and Thompson, senior Madison Griffin also understood the importance of acknowledging the two separate holidays. “I think it is important because veterans deserve to be honored while they are still alive. Memorial Day is to recognize and appreciate the people who have passed while or after serving,” said Griffin. After hearing about the survey done at school, Griffin expressed her thoughts on the matter. “Some people don’t know the difference because these holidays are not talked about enough”, she said.

Alternatively, there were students at Kelly Walsh who didn’t understand the difference between the two national holidays. Of the twenty students who were asked the question of whether or not they knew the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, ten students did not know. Some of those students candidly said they didn’t know, while some of them attempted to make a guess, which ended up being incorrect.

            It was apparent that some of the students at Kelly Walsh were unable to describe the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. America would not be the country it is today without the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives. Each and every veteran, whether they are still alive or not, deserves the respect from all citizens everyday, and especially on their respected holiday.