To many Americans, Memorial Day has lost its meaning

ANNVILLE, Pa. -- Allison Jaslow heard it more than once as the long holiday weekend approached -- a cheerful "Happy Memorial Day!" from oblivious well-wishers.

The former Army captain and Iraq War veteran had a ready reply, telling them, matter-of-factly, she considered it a work weekend. Jaslow was at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to take part in the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. She visited Section 60, the final resting place of many service members who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"You can see it in people's faces that they're a little horrified that they forget this is what the day's about," said Jaslow, 34, who wears a bracelet bearing the name of a fallen comrade. "Culturally, we've kind of lost sight of what the day's supposed to mean."

While millions of Americans celebrate the long Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial start of summer -- think beaches and backyard barbecues, mattress sales and sporting events -- some veterans and loved ones of fallen military members wish the holiday that honors more than 1 million people who died serving their country would command more respect.

Or at least awareness.

"It's a fun holiday for people: 'Let's party.' It's an extra day off from work," said Carol Resh, 61, whose son, Army Capt. Mark Resh, was killed in Iraq a decade ago. "It's not that they're doing it out of malice. It just hasn't affected them."

Veterans groups said a growing military-civilian disconnect contributes to a feeling that Memorial Day has been overshadowed.

More than 12 percent of the U.S. population served in the armed forces during World War II. That's down to less than 1 percent today, guaranteeing more Americans aren't personally acquainted with a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.

With an all-voluntary military, shared sacrifice is largely a thing of the past -- even as U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan and Iraq nearly 16 years after 9/11.

"There are a lot of things working against this particular holiday," said Brian Duffy, commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"It hurts," Duffy said. For combat veterans and Gold Star families especially, "it hurts that, as a society, we don't truly understand and appreciate what the true meaning of Memorial Day is."

Jaslow's group, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, tried to raise awareness with its #GoSilent campaign, which encouraged Americans to pause for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. Monday to remember the nation's war dead.

Of course, plenty of Americans already observe the holiday. At Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia, fresh flowers marked hundreds of graves, and fields of newly erected American flags flapped in the breeze.

Hundreds of motorcyclists thundered in for a Saturday service.

By the end of the weekend, thousands went to the cemetery to pay their respects.

Jim Segletes, 65, a Vietnam-era Marine visiting the grave of his father-in-law, a World War II veteran who died in 2000, said he thinks Americans became more patriotic and aware of military sacrifice after 9/11.

"Everyone is more in tune with veterans, more so than when I was in the service," he said.