If you haven't been in the military, much less combat, it is probably something beyond your understanding. (Some people do. My wife chimed in, saying that OF COURSE we celebrate Garry Owen Day!) The French Foreign Legion commemorates Camerone Day, for a battle in which one of its regiments refused terms of surrender and was wiped out. The Swiss Guard commemorates the day their soldiers died to the last man defending the Pope. Heck, even Cinco de Mayo is actually the commemoration of a Mexican defeat to the French.

Yes, it is a day of parades, games of a military nature, songs, sometimes a ball or a dining-in, and lots of fun all around. It starts, however, with a retelling of the battle, a listing of the names of the men who fell, and a commemoration of all of the soldiers of the different squadrons of the regiment who have fallen in battle...too many to name individually: Indian Wars, Mexican Expedition, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq (both times).

Aside from that, the the "command" was not wiped out on June 25, 1876. The regiment suffered a little more than 1/3 casualties (which certainly constitutes a defeat in any army at any time.) The detachment that Custer was with was killed to the last man, but the other two columns survived. The regiment departed on the campaign from Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory, where the 7th was stationed at that time, not Fort Riley.

See notes above. We don't celebrate war. We commemorate the honor and valor of those of us who have gone before. And DON'T start on whatever you think you know about Custer. Just face it, you were wrong to try to cast any dirt on the memory of those who have fought in ANY of our nation's wars and to attempt to deny them the honor they deserve.

Let's move on.