Every Memorial Day, Americans pause to remember the service members who never returned home from war.
Originally known as Decoration Day and centered on honoring Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War, Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May. Throughout its nearly 250-year history, the United States has been involved in numerous military conflicts in North America and around the world.
From the American Revolution to World War II, military conflicts have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Some wars lasted only a few years, while others stretched across generations and reshaped the country politically, culturally and spiritually.
Here are the seven bloodiest wars in American history
