OUR VIEW: Memorial service will offer closure

Yesterday, ROTC students distributed a poem by Charles M. Province that started with the lines, “It is the solder, not the reporter/Who has given us freedom of the press.” These words rang true with the staff of the Statesman and it is humbling to know we are able to do our job because so many have risked their lives doing theirs. Today is Veteran’s Day, a chance to remember those who have given their lives in defense of our country. Memorial services will be held here on campus and around the nation to honor their sacrifices. These tributes are touching and serve as a great opportunity to start to say “thank you” for what the men and women of the armed forces have done for all of us. But the term of veteran is not one only reserved for those who have passed on. Too often we forget that war, with all its horrors, does have its survivors. Today is their day, too. Today is also a day to remember those who are making a different kind of sacrifice in the name of freedom – children growing up with a parent stationed in a foreign land or spouses living single lives, even if temporarily. This is the day to pay tribute to any American who lives daily with the fear their brother or sister, son or daughter may never come home. We encourage everyone out there to find a veteran today, be they a family member, friend or casual acquaintance, and thank them for being willing to risk everything for our freedoms. To any veterans reading this – thank you. Your services have not been forgotten.