"They gave their yesterdays... "

[bluebiro]

Every so often I walk past a war memorial plaque which lists the names of local soldiers who fell in the wars and it says: "They gave their yesterdays for our todays". It feels a bit disrespectful to be pedantic over a war memorial, but that doesn't make sense, does it? They gave their tomorrows for our todays, surely? Or am I missing something?

Sounds like someone has mangled the original words:

'When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today.'

I think you're right.

Google suggests it's been used in a number of places (particularly in the US) in relation to war veterans, but when you stop to think it doesn't seem entirely logical. I agree they sacrificed their (future) lives so that we might have our current lives - gave their tomorrows for our todays.