Memorial Day commemorations are taking place across the United States amid growing debate over America’s relationship with war, military service and patriotism. Only about 1.3 million of the United States’ 330 million people serve on active military duty, while Memorial Day — once a solemn moment of national reflection and remembrance — has increasingly become one of America’s biggest commercial shopping weekends. As ceremonies honour fallen troops, many Americans are also questioning the legacy of conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the expanding confrontation with Iran.