Monday is Memorial Day – to many it’s just an opportunity for a day off work and a long weekend. Offering maybe a quick trip to the beach to kick off the summer, or some free time to crank up the back yard grill and cook burgers or barbecued ribs.

Nestled between Memorial Day and Labor Day, summer beckons as a time for putting cares away as much as we can – a mindset that probably harkens back to school days and the freedom from the classroom that summer brought in our younger years.

But this Monday is a holiday for a reason. It is a day bought with the sacrifices of men and women in our armed services who gave the ultimate gift for our freedom – their lives.

A group of area residents have been making sure that sacrifice is not forgotten. Each year on Memorial Day, they host a special ceremony at the Lincoln County/Brookhaven Government Complex to remember our fallen heroes.

This year’s program is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will feature guest speaker, Rep. Gregg Harper.

We commend Brookhaven’s VFW Post 2618 for holding our local Memorial Day program, and we encourage all area residents to take a few minutes and attend.

During Monday’s ceremony, an honor guard will post the colors as the names of all 88 fallen men and women from Lincoln County from World War I to the Vietnam War are read aloud.

Take time to go, listen and find out who these heroes were and pay them your respects.

We thank these – and all – men and women in our nation’s armed forces for giving us the opportunity to enjoy our Memorial Day