West Virginians had a higher death rate per capita compared to other states during the Vietnam War.

The Mountain State sent 36,578 troops to Vietnam, with 1,182 of them dying. This rate was higher than the national average, with West Virginia suffering the highest casualty rate in the nation.

Kentucky had 1,024 soldiers killed in Vietnam.

This past Monday was Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.

The number of casualties during the Vietnam War was high.

The number of American soldiers killed in the Vietnam War was approximately 58,220. This figure includes those who died in action, accidents, and other causes.

I grew up during the era of the Vietnam War. So the history of this war has always interested me. The last years were when I was in high school. Many of my classmates thought we might be drafted. (But the draft ended and during a short period some males did not have to register for the Selective Service or be put on the list to be drafted.)

The national news each day featured stories about the conflicts and battles in the Southeast Asian country. So some of those ahead of me in school paid particular interest when the draft lottery was held.

Many from Mingo, Martin and Pike counties served in the Vietnam War and other past wars.

The function of the draft lottery selection was to select dates within a calendar year at random, with men whose birthdays matched those dates being drafted according to the sequence in which the dates were selected.

By the end of America’s most controversial war in 1975, more than 3 million Americans had served and 58,220 had died. Many of those were drafted rather than having joined the military on their own.

Memorial Day is a time for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn the military personnel who died in the line of duty. Volunteers will place American flags on the graves of those military personnel in cemeteries across the United States.

I proudly do this every year for my father, Sam Lovern, who was in the Army and fought in the South Pacific during World War II.

My brother-in-law Bill Dotson proudly served in Vietnam. My half-brother Melvin Caudill was in the U.S. Navy during the early 1960s and brother-in-law Ken Prichard served in the U.S. Air Force in the late 1950s. I am proud of my family members who served.

Sometimes I regret not joining the military and serving our country myself.

For years, Appalachian Americans from states like West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and others proudly served in the military during wartime: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and, in the modern era, the conflicts in the Middle East.

Many conclude that Appalachian citizens make great soldiers.

The first national observance of what would become Memorial Day took place May 30, 1868. At that time it was known as Decoration Day.

It has become a time when we, as a nation, decorate all our family graves and cemeteries.

Many towns and cities hold military parades and other events to honor those brave veterans who served our country.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to all veterans who have served throughout the years in the armed forces. Whether it was in wartime or not, they still performed an important duty for the United States.

I hope we will always honor the veterans not only on Memorial Day but every day of the year.

Until next time.

(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)