Our Viewpoint

Last weekend, we had a lot to celebrate in Sanders County. The remaining graduates received their diplomas. The weather was sunny and warm. Most people had a long weekend to enjoy with their families camping, traveling and gathering.

There were also celebrations of freedom throughout the county. Memorial Day isn't just about the start of summer and the countdown to the last days of school and the long weekend. Community members gathered at local cemeteries to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving our country.

Along with flowers placed at gravesites in rememberance of all of those we've lost in our lives, local groups put flags where veterans are buried. As I visited cemeteries, the word that kept coming to mind was patriotism. When people talk about patriotism, sometimes it evokes negative emotions. It is often associated with one political party or agenda, and that shouldn't be the case.

We're all Americans and we all live in a great country. As I told someone older than me at the Whitepine Cemetery ceremony on Sunday, most people in my generation do not understand the sacrifices made by veterans and their families, but we often take for granted the freedoms their sacrifices provided us historically and today. When we attend ceremonies on Memorial Day or Veterans Day, it is often veterans and family members of an older generation that attend and are most affected by the memories of the events.

Does that mean that generation Y and millenials don't have a sense of patriotism or love America? Absolutely not. But the older generations went through wars, lost family members and went through uncertainties as home. The younger generations have always felt safe in America, have never worried about a possible draft and have led a relatively comfortable life to those who lived through world wars or Vietnam.

Every time I talk to a veteran or a family member, I am so thankful. Pastor John Wallace on Sunday at the Whitepine cemetery repeatedly expressed how grateful he is to those who have served. Everyone should express patriotism with a grateful heart and not take for granted the simple freedoms that comes with all the sacrifices.

— Annie Wooden