If you are a resident of the United States, you may have seen VFW members out on Memorial Day selling small paper poppies. And you may have wondered why. I think it is a reference to World War I, and the poem In Flanders Fields.
(And interestingly, this poem that is so linked to Memorial Day (formerly Decoration Day) in the States, was written by a Canadian, John McRae)

I have relatives who are veterans; I have some relatives who died fighting wars (but I never knew any of them, they were all in WWI). I have relatives that I know of who fought in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the first Gulf War.

Perhaps not all wars are "just" wars. Perhaps you believe no war is "just." But I think you have to appreciate the sacrifice of someone giving up their (usually his) life for country, freedom, and "the folks back home".