There is an old story about Noah Webster, who wrote the famous dictionary that bears his name.

As you can imagine, he was a stickler for the precise use of language.  He was also something of a womanizer.  One day he was in the pantry kissing the maid when Mrs.   Webster walked in on them.  Mrs. Webster said, "Why, Noah, I'm surprised."  Noah said, "No, my dear.  We're surprised.  You're amazed." (Mark Trotter, "Do You Amaze Anybody?", May 22, 1988) 

Noah was trying to divert attention from himself with an esoteric semantic point.  But that's not my point in telling the story.  My point is to introduce the question, "What's the right word for a Memorial Service?"  The word "memorial" is defined by Webster as "something to keep in memory a deceased person or event." The Vietnam memorial…