Medal of Honor recipient: Freedom comes at a price, Memorial Day 2020
Memorial Day originally was known as Decoration Day. It was started to honor those men who "gave their last full measure" fighting for the Union during the Civil War.
Following World War I, Decoration Day became a day to honor all those who sacrificed their lives in war.
Decoration Day has since evolved by an act of Congress in 1968 into Memorial Day.
This is not a day of celebration. It is a day to remember that our freedom has been bought at an extremely high price.
We must never forget and never minimize the price of our freedom. We must remember that some mother, some father, some husband, some wife, and some child is going without someone they love because that loved one died protecting our freedom.
Sadly, there are those who discount the freedoms as guaranteed by our Constitution.
Sadly, many of our elected officials view the Constitution that guarantees our freedoms as archaic and unworkable.
Yet without our Constitution, and those who have sacrificed everything for it, we would not know freedom at all.
Now as we go through the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, we as free Americans must understand that freedom always comes with a price.
There are those now serving us who are putting their health and, yes, even their lives, at risk to ensure that goods and services are delivered to "We the People."
It is important we recognize that they, in a sense like those in uniform, are providing for us at a risk to themselves.
As free Americans, just like in any other conflict, it is up to us to unite as one body to beat this pandemic. Yet, we cannot defeat it at the risk or loss of our freedoms as guaranteed by the Constitution.
Still, we must do our part as free Americans though we cannot be and should not be ordered to give up those freedoms. We can and should as freedom-loving Americans do our part by practicing social distancing and by going along with what our government is asking us to do.
• Allen Lynch of Gurnee is a Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient.