Editor,

Memorial Day is not just the day the pool opens or the day you uncover the grill, eat hamburgers and hand-cranked ice cream on your deck.

Fewer and fewer people in this overly-developed culture understand the significance of why we celebrate this day. Many that do know the true meaning of this day only publicly and openly recognize so during a short hurried prayer before biting into a burger.

We celebrate this day to pay honor, respect, and reverence for all those that paid the ultimate price for our freedom and never came home.

As I reflect on this day and pay homage to all the hero’s that gave their existence for my liberty and freedom one such young man come to my mind who never made it to his 20th birthday. The young man was Buddy Green, a man that I spent part of my youth with, and who will forever be young in my mind and memory, because he never had the chance to become old like myself.

Buddy was a talented dreamer who never knew a stranger and always had a smile on his face. We were friends for six short years from 6th grade until 12th. Close to the end of our service year in high school Buddy knew that he did not have enough credits to graduate with our class, so he quit school and joined the Marine Corps.

In less than two months into his senior trip to South Asia, Buddy died in some unknown, unnamed, sweltering jungle. Buddy died for your freedom and my freedom. Buddy was real, Buddy had a history, Buddy had a family, Buddy had friends Buddy was a hero!

If during this Memorial celebration if you cannot conjure up someone to thank for your freedom, think about Buddy. I know I will always think of him on this day and thank him for his sacrifice. Buddy you are more than just another name on a long black wall.

Thank you,

Roy L. Myatt

Liberty