Those who paid cost of our freedom

At 18 in 1980, after President Carter resumed the registration requirement in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, I registered as a conscientious objector.

Then as now, I had strong feelings about peace over war.

Additionally, with Vietnam in the not-so-distant past, I had learned that America's military involvement in the world politic was not always associated with the protection of our freedoms as granted in the Constitution.

Today, with the war in Iraq, that point is ever more clear.

As I sat in my quiet home drinking coffee on a beautiful and sunny Sunday morning, the eve of Memorial Day, I remembered and was thankful for those of my parents' and grandparents' generations who sacrificed and went to war and served on our behalf providing my family and me and our friends and our neighbors with the comfort in life that we enjoy today.

I also remembered my older sister's generation, which was the first through the door of the Baby Boom. They both volunteered for and were drafted into service.

And I pray every day for the children of our friends and neighbors who are currently serving in the armed forces. For all of these people and their families, I am in awe of their sacrifices.

Though we don't always consider the cost of our comfort and the cost of our opportunity for option, I am ever so grateful to those, then and now, who have paid it for me.

Mike Roche

Arlington Heights