Sacrifice. Families and friends gather for barbecues and parades, but the sole purpose of that special Monday is to remember those whose lives were taken protecting our country. Memorial day is for honoring the sacrifices that those who have served our country had to make in order to obtain our liberty. Additionally, to me, it is for admiring my great grandfathers, who both made it home safely, and their bravery for enduring the harshness of World War II

Sacrifice. Despite the fact that many of their peers did not have the privilege of making it home, both of my great grandfathers returned safely to their families. Although they made it home, they brought back guilt and a loss of innocence along with them.

Sacrifice. My mother’s maternal grandfather’s purity from cruelty was stripped from him after he was drafted. Memories of his job still plague him to this day. Driving around in massive army trucks on ragged dirt, picking up corpses after each battle. He had to forget the faces and look past the fact that those were dead bodies of his fellow American brothers that he had to dispose of. He sacrificed his sanity.

Sacrifice. My mother’s paternal grandfather lived a long life and died of natural causes rather than at the hands of an enemy in battle. At his funeral, commemorative gunshots were fired. I watched as they carefully folded our flag 7 times and handed it to my great grandmother with respect. I truly felt the power and passion as I observed these acts for honor. In that moment, I finally understood why he gave up his life to protect our country.

Sacrifice. They not only fought so hard for liberty, but they made it home safely and got to live out the rest of their lives with their families. I admire them greatly for their courage and heroism in the war. They risked their lives and their safety to protect our rights. Sacrifice.