Courier-Leader photos/Paul Garrod
By Paul Garrod
Staff Writer
news4garrod@gmail.com
MATTAWAN – Dan Brooks, who spoke at the Mattawan Memorial Day service in Mattawan Memorial Park on Monday, May 26, told those gathered that the many freedoms that we have today, came at a great price.
Brooks quoted verses from the Bible, John 15: 12-13, which read: “This is my com-mandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. For greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Brooks then listed the number of casualties from the different wars and conflicts: Civil War – 698,000; World War I – 116,516; World War II – 405,399; Vietnam – 58,220; Ko-rean War – 36,574. “These numbers don’t include Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any current conflict,” said Brooks.
“We have freedom to have differing opinions, freedom to worship, and have different religions, worship centers, freedom to protest against things we may or may agree with. Freedom to assemble, just like today, unlike other countries. In other words, freedom takes time to understand the sacrifices that were made, so we can continue to have this service and our barbecues. God bless each of you here and God bless the United States of America.”
