To the editor:

Memorial Day is a day that we take time to pause and honor those who have served in the armed forces and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. For us, the reminder of that cost comes in many forms, spoken and unspoken. The honor guard carrying the coffin draped with the flag of our nation that the service member has given their life for. The sound of taps being played while a child sits nearby, too young to understand, too young to grasp it all. The sound of military aircraft overhead often causes heads to turn. On occasion one may witness planes in formation. To some it’s a symbol of freedom.  To some it’s a symbol of strength for assurance of peace. But when one plane in that formation flies away, leaving an empty space, an unmistakable symbol emerges — the missing man formation, an indication that someone again has made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

So, this Memorial Day we will pause and remember those men and women who gave their life that we may have not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom here in this hemisphere.
 
Andre Grisham, USN (retired)
Tiverton