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Freedom Comes With a Price

May 28, 2021
Weekly Columns

This year's Memorial Day will be special for many Americans as our nation begins to return to normal, with many joining in-person gatherings with family and friends for the first time in over a year. As we celebrate the holiday weekend with cookouts, sunshine, and good food, let's take a moment to count our many blessings because of the sacrifices of others. Freedom has always come with a high price, and it is our privilege to remember the men and women who died in service so that we may continue to enjoy our freedom.

One such man is Harold "Gene" Sellers, an Arkansan who was one of the first men to die on D-Day. He parachuted behind enemy lines, and his sacrifice allowed other Americans to storm the beaches of Normandy.

Mr. Sellers was a high school football and basketball star and attended the University of Arkansas on a football scholarship. Before he could complete his first year of college, Mr. Sellers dropped out to enlist in the U.S. Army and joined the 101st Airborne. On D-Day, he was one of the paratroopers to parachute behind enemy lines the night before the Normandy invasion. As he landed, Mr. Sellers was attacked and killed by a group of Nazi soldiers.

He was one of 4,413 servicemen to give their lives for freedom that day. Mr. Sellers was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously. I was honored to visit his grave in the American Cemetery in Normandy and was inspired by his story. His sacrifice, along with thousands of men who gave their lives that day, are the reason why the Allies were able to free France from Nazi control.

We can never repay men like Mr. Sellers, but we can remember their lives and honor their sacrifice by passing their stories down to future generations.

Issues:Veterans