The price of freedom.
We probably don’t think much about this subject during the course of our busy daily lives.
As we stood under the hot sun Friday afternoon, bidding farewell to the local 203rd Military Police Battalion National Guard unit, we thought of what is yet to come.
For the 80 members who will be serving our country on foreign soil, their lives will change forever. Separation from family and friends will only be a small part of their sacrifice.
Those who remain here while the unit is away will also need our support.
The deployment ceremony opened with prayer and closed with prayer, not because we are deep in the heart of the Bible belt but because we are “One nation under God.” At moments such as this, when we come face to face with the cost of the freedoms we all enjoy, we realize anew the highest price we pay is in the lives of the men and women sent to foreign lands, possibly never to return.
While many of you are enjoying your extra cup of coffee this morning or attending church, this brave group will be departing from Huntsville International Airport.
Say an extra prayer for them.
These men and women are risking it all for us – we the people.
What an honor it was to stand in their midst.
Opinion
Say an extra prayer for those who risk all for us
- Opinion
-
- Post office plan shows path forward
-
L&S facility is no bargain for the county
We can’t help wondering how the county intends to pay to refurbish the center, including the standalone restaurant, which would take years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, before it could be occupied by county programs or rented to private businesses.
-
Can state afford to imprison for small offenses?
Alabama doesn’t have to give up its tough-on-crime stance completely. We just need to be smarter about the crimes we’re tough on.
- Orr: Pension reform legislation a step in the right direction
-
Longer school summer break would bring many benefits
Educators... say that children retain less from the previous year over a long break. That might be true, although much education research is suspect since it is often carried out with an agenda.
-
Growth at the University of Alabama comes with growing pains
It must find a way to slow the growth of tuition costs so that a University of Alabama education is still within reach of average Alabamians.
- Sen. Holtzclaw: Why I oppose a statewide school calendar
-
Charter schools legislation must be judged by its classroom results
Republicans are selling charter schools as a thinking-outside-the-box solution to the problems facing public education. They point to successful examples where charter schools are proven to get more out of public education dollars.
-
PACT needs action before lawmakers face pulling the plug
The Legislature closed PACT to new enrollees several years ago, but the state has an obligation to the people who’d already paid into the program.
-
Is this circus what Trayvon would want?
We have two sides arguing about an incident that no one knows the truth about except the two people involved. Unfortunately, one of those people is dead and the other is in hiding and in fear for his life.
- More Opinion Headlines


