Area residents honored veterans with a parade Saturday and willremember our nation’s fallen soldiers Monday on Memorial Day.

Following last week’s deaths of four Mississippi soldiers fromthe 155th Brigade Combat Team, this Memorial Day strikes a littlecloser to home for their families and many others in the state. Tensoldiers from the brigade have died since January, and Mississippi,with 14, has seen the fourth-highest number of casualties of anystate since Sept. 11, 2001.

These men have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and other soldiersface that possibility every day they are on duty. Their sacrificescontinue to help ensure the freedoms we enjoy in this country – thesame freedoms we are trying to bring to other parts of theworld.

On this Memorial Day, pause for a moment to remember ournation’s soldiers and the sacrifices they’ve made on ourbehalf.