Memorial Day: America’s 7 costliest wars

Every Memorial Day, Americans pause to remember the service members who never returned home from war.

The holiday, observed on the last Monday in May, was originally known as Decoration Day. It was first established to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War.

Throughout its nearly 250-year history, the United States has been involved in numerous military conflicts at home and abroad. From the American Revolution to World War II, these wars have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. While some conflicts lasted only a few years, others stretched across generations, reshaping the country politically, culturally, and spiritually.

Here are the seven costliest wars in American history, measured by the number of U.S. military deaths.