On this Memorial Day, I think back 80 years to my military service in World War II. I was a young infantry combat soldier in France, Netherlands, and Germany and was proud of my service to my country. At age 100, however, I wonder what lies before America at this most dangerous time. We soldiers risked our lives for freedom so long ago, and I’d like to feel that freedom, the rule of law, and liberty matter now as much as ever as we struggle to preserve and strengthen our democracy. I have to think that these are eternal American values and that we will have the strength and courage to overcome what looks like a powerful current toward authoritarianism. I only hope that people today will be willing to put themselves on the line to defend the essential freedoms that we have taken for granted in our country for so long, to guarantee that democracy and our way of life will be preserved so that future generation will also benefit from these safeguards of liberty.
Sidney Moss
Northampton