Phillip E. Thompson, a former judge advocate in the Marine Corps, is a lawyer in Virginia.

Korean War veteran Charles Navarin, 94, rides in the 106th annual Staten Island Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 26, 2025.

Vietnam War veteran Edward McFarland is urging Americans to remember and honor fallen Black servicemembers on Memorial Day.

Photo: Getty Images Memorial Day began in the mid-1800s as a way to honor the people who died in the American Civil War. The ...