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What would Rock County be like today had it not been for sacrifices of those before us?

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Star Herald Editorial

We have life pretty good here in Rock County, with relative peace and prosperity that we tend to take for granted.
We don’t worry where our next meal will come from and we don’t fear enemy attacks on our community.
When we turn on the light switch and water faucet, we don’t give it another thought when the lights go on and water fills the sink.
When we get in the car, we assume it will start and that the local gas stations will have affordable gas when we need to refill.
We can trust that our roads and bridges are stable and secure, and we think nothing of crisscrossing the state by car or flying in a plane cross-country or across the globe.
While some of our residents have fewer luxuries than the rest of us, it’s safe to say that even the poorest and most destitute resident in Rock County is still far better off than the average resident in a war-torn community or better still than the average refugee displaced by war and violence.
Yes, we are a blessed nation and we in Rock County are blessed to assume life’s little luxuries will be here tomorrow and into the future.
But we should never, ever take our peace and prosperity for granted, and Monday — Memorial Day — will be a great time to thank those who made our current lifestyle possible.
Without the sacrifices of military service men and women dating back to our nation’s founding, who knows where our allegiances might lie? Who knows what kind of leadership would dictate our nation’s future?
The world and our nation might be a very different place — one without reliable infrastructure and services and one without safety and security.
Thanks to many, many American servicemen and women, we live in a free nation that fosters the lifestyle we’ve grown to appreciate today.
So, on Monday while we’re enjoying a day off from work and gathering with loved ones for an outdoor barbecue, pause to remember that freedom isn’t free.
It came with a great cost.
And we must always remember that.
And be forever grateful.

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