On Friday, May 28, I attended a ceremony "sending off" WWII veterans who will witness the historical long overdue WWII Memorial in Washington DC. As we waited for the bus to arrive I spoke with numerous members of the Farmingdale Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #516. I was listening to their wartime stories and some of the missions that they accomplished.

Each of them spoke to me so matter of factly as if they were talking about a minor event. In fact, these men of the greatest generation were talking about the role they played in securing freedom and democracy for our nation.

I was struck by the fact that these men in their 70s and 80s endured tremendous sacrifices and hardships as they prevailed over the German and Japanese armies in WWII. I found myself drifting to the thoughts of my father, Louis Labriola (an Army Paratrooper), who passed away three years ago. This generation of veterans always reminds me of him and I was saddened by the fact that he and so many other WWII veterans will never see this memorial in our nation's capitol. I lament the fact that it took 60 years for our federal government to build this memorial.

Later, as I left these hero veterans I was comforted by a different thought. This memorial is not just for our WWII veterans (who are dying at a rate of 1,000 a day), but for all future generations so that each will be reminded of the incredible cost of our freedom.

May this Memorial Day and all Memorial Days be cherished by all freedom-loving Americans. Say thanks to a veteran today and teach your children the value of the sacrifice of our veterans.

Steve L. Labriola