There were multiple Memorial Day celebrations and ceremonies that took place over the course of the long weekend across the county. The commemorations that were held locally had the same general theme of each similar celebration that likely took part across the country on Monday, honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy in this country today.

“To each and every one of them today, we say thank you,” said Lt. Col. Manuel Zepeda, United States Marine Corps during a Monday morning ceremony in LaGrange.

“As the Bible teaches us, no greater love has a man than he who would lay down his life for his brother,” said Hogansville Mayor Bill Stankiewicz said in a Hogansville Memorial Day ceremony. “Today we remember those who, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, ‘gave the last full measure of devotion.’”

The world we live in today is a world of convenience, technology and speed. These realities can often lead to good results. The technology available to us today allows for quicker business advancements, leads to new employment opportunities and allows businesses to save money on now-defunct technology and business practices. As the world and technology improves, there will continue to be positive repercussions from this fact.

However, these realities can also have unintended, negative consequences as well. These unintended consequences are oft-discussed in today’s social media-infused world, and older generations are quick to lament the slow extinction of ‘soft skills’ taking place amongst their younger counterparts, who too often have their faces buried behind a computer or into a phone.

While there are elements of truth buried in these concerns, one irrefutable byproduct of a world with ever-expanding technological capacity is a continued separation from the past. Simply put, it is becoming more and more difficult for younger generations to imagine a world where military sacrifice of this nature is necessary. In our daily lives, it can be so incredibly easy to forget the sacrifices paid by these military personnel, because we forget the need for it.

The world is always going to see bad actors vie for power, and there will always be a need for brave, willing individuals to answer the call to defend the freedoms of the majority. We are thankful for the opportunity to take a day and say ‘thank you’ in a world where we can forget the very need for this gratitude.