Memorial Day and Trump’s War on Iran

By Alan Singer 

Memorial Day commemorates soldiers who died while serving in the American armed services. The earliest Memorial Day probably was organized by formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865, less than a month after the end of the Civil War. Other local events followed including one in Waterloo, New York in 1866. The first national remembrance day, known as Declaration Day, was organized by a veterans’ group in 1868. In 1873 Declaration Day became an official holiday in New York State and it was celebrated in every state by 1890. It did not become an official federal holiday until 1971.

On Memorial Day we should recognize that war has human, economic, and political costs. Gas prices are up, but so far, the United States has been spared the worst consequences of Donald Trump’s war on Iran. That will probably change in the near future.

As of May 21, 2026, the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran resulted in at least 5,000 Iranian deaths including over 1,500 civilians and at least 250 children killed in the destruction of schools. In addition, 3 million people were driven out of their homes. It is estimated that Operation Epic Fury caused $144 billion in damage to Iran, about 40% of its pre-war GDP, but the damage might be double that. Iran is demanding that as part of a final end to the war the U.S. and Israel pay for the damage that they caused, with the U.S. probably also paying Israel’s share.

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Image source: clipart-library.com

Alan Singer is the director of Secondary Education Social Studies Teaching Learning Technology at Hofstra University and the author of Class-Conscious Coal Miners. Blogs, tweets, essays, and interviews present his views and not those of the university.