On Memorial Day, Remember Skepticism Toward a Large, Standing Military

In recent years, it's become common to thank both retired and active-duty military personnel for their service – an expression met with various measures of appreciation or discomfort by recipients. The new custom is a step beyond the long-established sentiments embodied by Memorial Day, which acknowledges those who fell in combat in the ranks of a rare American institution that retains wide public confidence. While the thank-yous are well-intentioned, they represent a shift in attitude for a country that once distrusted anything resembling a powerful military. They also gloss over the costs—acknowledged on...