Yesterday was Memorial Day and a time to remember those who serve our country to protect our freedom and the freedom of others across the world. As I stood in the Ohio Cemetery in Rio, Wisconsin, the Congregational Minister delivered a speech that reminded us all of why we should honor our troops.  He faced the honor guard and addressed them directly.

He stated that he was a refuge from Moldova near the Ukraine and he and his family suffered greatly under the strong arm of the KGB after World War 2.  The MSSR was governed by Moscow and they even decreed that the local language, originally Romanian, would be renamed and speaking Russian became obligatory. The local economy became strictly tightened to control political dissent and nationalist sentiment, and any public discussions that were not favored by the communist party were suppressed by the KGB. <Continued>

The minister then walked over and extended his hand to personally thank every uniformed officer. He said to the crowd that it was amazing to him that some people in America don't fully understand or appreciate what freedom feels like, and what it feels like to be indebted to a group of individuals that you don't even know who liberated countries at the cost of their very own lives. His hope, he said, was that everyone present would share his story with the younger generation to remind them why America is great and why protecting our freedom is so very crucial to the world.

The honor guard delivered the 21 gun salute and there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd.