Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, Americans began defending the ideals of liberty and freedom our forefathers outlined in the Declaration of Independence. Since that time, many fellow countrymen and women protected these founding values of democracy both at home and abroad.

This Memorial Day, let a grateful nation remember the price our American patriots have made on behalf of democracy. Take a moment and read what Lindsey Liberatore, a junior at Apponequet Regional High School in Freetown, Mass., and the 2000-2001 VFW Voice of Democracy winner, believes is the true price of freedom

From her words and story, let Americans celebrate freedom by never forgetting those who have fought to protect it:

“I first visited the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., when I was three years old. I went with my father, and have always thought the memories of that visit were a dream. I can remember the way my father looked. He was wearing dark sunglasses, and was kneeling, touching one of the thousands of names before him.

“It wasn’t until last week that I learned this memory was not a dream. I also learned why my father had been so “sad.” I have always known that my father served in the Marines, and was in combat in Vietnam, but never knew the full extent of the ordeal he went through.

“In 1967, he reported to boot camp on Parris Island in South Carolina. A young man named Steve was also sent to training in the same platoon. Almost instantaneously, the two became inseparable, spending every waking minute making light of every situation possible. They became best friends, but were separated when my father went to Vietnam. However, to each one’s surprise, they met again, and were stationed together during part of their tours.

“It was like they never spent any time apart. The jokes and pranks started again, and the good times surpassed the bad. Never did the two think about the distinct possibility that one would make it home without the other. My father was on a base, making arrangements to report home, when he learned of Steve’s death. There was an explosion in the ammunition pit, and Steve was one of the several fatalities. His name now lies on panel twenty-five of the Wall, and it was there that my father knelt, tears streaming down his face unhidden by his sunglasses thirteen years ago.

“My father said that every day he thinks of Steve, and when I was born he thought of Steve, and when he taught me to ride my bike he thought of Steve, and when he taught me to drive he thought of Steve. He thought of what he has been able to experience and Steve could not, and he thought of just how much was sacrificed to obtain freedom for all.

“Our world has lost a countless number of individuals to the fight for freedom. We mourn for those we lost and the sacrifices they had to make. For this reason, and for many more, Steve and my father, and all those who have made sacrifices, I have come to the conclusion that the idea, or rather the ideal of freedom is, and always will be, priceless.”

The Voice of Democracy program is a national audio essay competition that annually provides more than $2.7 million in college scholarships and incentives to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders across the nation. Competitors begin at their local VFW post each fall and may progress to their state competition.

First-place state winners spend a week in Washington, D.C., during the national finals competition. For more information on this VFW initiative, please visit www.vfw.org.

Zane A. Grant is the VWF department commander in Presque Isle.