The plaque lists the numbers of American prisoners of war and those missing in action for seven wars, from 1775 to 1991. It is an admirable memorial, mounted on a brick wall at a rest stop along Interstate 75.

collateral: adjective
1. related but secondary

There are few mentions of civilian deaths in the Revolutionary war (ignoring the proposition that all wars are revolting). Summing up various sources, there were probably less than 200.

In the War Between the States (Georgia’s name for it, not mine), approximately 5,000.

WWI (to save space?): around 10,000,000

WWII: between 50 and 55 million

Korean (not officially an American war):  2,000,000 to 3,000,000

Vietnam: perhaps as many as 2 million non-combatant men, women, and children

Persian Gulf: maybe 100,000 to 200,000

The plaque hasn’t been updated. God forbid we should talk about collateral issues, about Indigenous Peoples, the Enslaved, all the unmentionable and forgotten conflicts since Day One of America.

This is the sixth month of 2023 CE. American civilians killed by gunfire on American soil this half-year: only about 14,000. There is no salute to them.