美国阵亡将士纪念日

This Monday marks Memorial Day in the U.S.

这周一是美国阵亡将士纪念日。

The federal holiday where Americans honor and pay tribute to those who've lost their lives while serving in the military.

在这个联邦假日里，美国人向那些在服役期间献出生命的军人致敬。

The day which also signals the unofficial start to summer, originated in the years following the Civil War, which ended in 1865, the country establishing a Decoration Day where the nation could decorate the graves of those who died in war with flowers.

这一天标志着夏天的非正式开始。美国阵亡将士纪念日起源于1865年南北战争结束后的几年，美国在战后建立了扫墓日(美国阵亡将士纪念日)，全美在这天用鲜花装饰那些战死士兵的坟墓。

Well, over 100 years later, in 1971, Congress made it an official holiday.

100多年后的1971年，国会将这天定为法定假日。

cnn had the chance to speak with a few veterans in active-duty military about the first time they knew they wanted to serve their country.

cnn有机会采访了几名现役军人，他们讲述了他们第一次知道自己想为国服役的经历。

When I was laying there, I really, you know, didn't think that I was going to make it.

当我躺在那里的时候，我真的认为我无法做到。

The Marines that were around me. I'm sure that they didn't think I was going to make it either.

我身边的海军陆战队员。我敢肯定他们也认为我无法做到。

So, you know, it really shows me that I'm here for a reason.

这让我明白我在这里是有原因的。

What really made things clear for me was looking back at my life up to, you know, this point.

真正让我想明白的是回顾我到现在为止的人生。

I always did everything for myself and I never really took a step back and said, you know what, I just need to start doing things for other people.

我做的每件事都是为了自己，我从未后退一步想，我需要开始为他人做事。

And I knew that I could do that in the Marines.

我知道我在海军陆战队可以实现这个想法。

My dad was furious. My dad didn't talk to me for like a solid month. He really hated it when I said, I was on leave to go to the military.

我爸爸非常生气。我爸爸整整一个月没跟我说话。当我说我要请假去参军的时候，他真的很不愿意。

I'm from Chicago originally. I'm from the south side.

我是芝加哥人。我是从南边来的。

We thought that, you know, the scholarship and education that stuff that I had would get me out of the hood, you know, which it did.

我们认为，我所获得的奖学金、受到的教育让我摆脱困境，确实做到了。

But I wanted to get farther after that. I had higher aspirations of that. I want to get out of the country.

但在那之后，我想走得更远。我有更大的抱负，我想离开这个国家。

And the Air Force was supposed to be the most intelligent branch of the service.

空军被认为是最聪明的军种。

I went all over. I mean, I went to Scotland, I went to Wales, I went to -- every time I had a chance to get off, I went somewhere. I traveled somewhere.

我到处去。我是说，我去了苏格兰，去了威尔士，去了——每次我有机会下飞机，我就去一个地方。我会走遍那个地方。

At 21, I was just finishing my nurse's training when World War II broke out.

第二次世界大战爆发时，我21岁，刚完成护士培训。

In fact, we were on the chow line when, over the loudspeaker, it was announced that the war had started.

事实上，当喇叭里宣布战争开始时，我们正在排队领食物。

Being in the service made me grow up. I was a young girl, just lived home, and all of a sudden, you're thrown out with all kinds of people and places that you read about but never saw.

服役让我长大了。我那时还是个小女孩，住在家里，突然之间，就被赶到你读到过但从未见过的地方，与各种各样的人打交道。

It was quite an experience. It's something I'm very happy I did, but I would never want to do it again.

这是一次非常难忘的经历。我很高兴我去服役了，但我再也不想经历一次了。

My uncle was killed by a terrorist organization, and I knew at that point that I wanted to fight against those type of individuals.

我叔叔被一个恐怖组织杀害了，那时我就知道我要和这类人作战了。

And so I graduated from Ranger school in October 23rd of 2009, and just about six weeks later, I was in Afghanistan.

2009年10月23日，我从游骑兵学校毕业，仅仅六周后，我就到了阿富汗。