A tribute to those who gave all

As Memorial Day approaches, we ask our readers to pause and remember those brave servicemen and servicewomen who have given their lives in the fight to protect and uphold our country’s freedoms. We ask you to do no less this year — and we are even doing a little bit more ourselves.

Our subscribers will receive in the mail a special Monday, May 29, edition of the Mar yland Independent. This 44-page extra issue will be entirely dedicated to Memorial Day, and the reasons we mark it. It will also be available on newsstands throughout Charles County, just like every other edition of the Maryland Independent. The single-copy price will be the usual 75 cents.

In this special Memorial Day issue, you will read about:

• How a Hollywood family still mourns its young soldier killed 13 years ago in Iraq, and how they are trying to move on.

• An American Legion post in Hughesville, and its honoring of one of its namesakes who was killed in World War II.

• An Indian Head family who remembers its son and brother who was killed in Vietnam.

• The recently deceased American Legion post commander in Prince Frederick, and how her own personal legacy honored those of the unit’s 1940s founders in the first African-American post in the region.

• How a Morganza family continues to battle the federal government over a soldier’s death from Agent Orange years after he had served in Southeast Asia.

• Monuments to those who died in World War I, and to a special band of comrades — the United States Colored Troops — who fought with valor in the Civil War.

• A museum dedicated to telling the stories of Maryland’s veterans from the revolution to the present day.

• How a local cemetery has donated burial plots for Southern Maryland veterans as a courtesy and convenience to their families, so they can visit their loved ones here instead of having to travel to Arlington National Cemetery.

In addition to these stories and other features, there will also be a page publicizing the many events and commemorations planned throughout Southern Maryland for the holiday weekend.

The names and faces featured in this special Memorial Day edition of the Maryland Independent are just some of the men and women from Southern Maryland who, throughout our nation’s various military conflicts, gave their lives for their country and the freedoms we enjoy today. The least we can do for our part is offer a means of recording and sharing their stories.

So, as we enter into a three-day weekend famous for its cookouts, swimming pool openings and family gatherings, we once again ask you to reflect on the true reason behind the holiday, and — if you would please take some time — to read the stories about and pay respect to some of our region’s bravest service members who never made it home.

All those of any era who serve in this nation’s military accept the risk that their lives may be cut short during their time in uniform. They honor their comrades who have fallen. They remember the human cost of war. So should we all.