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SANDY — Though many things may divide Americans, on a pleasant Friday evening in Sandy, a memorial brought many people back together.
"There's no politics here. There's no Democrat, no Republican. This is American,” Tony Galvez, one of the speakers during the dedication, said.
If anyone knows what being an American means, it's Galvez.
His son, Adam, was killed while serving in the United States Marines Corps in Iraq in 2006.
When he was asked to speak at Friday night’s dedication for the Utah Freedom Memorial, he was simply happy that people still remembered.
"I couldn't be a more proud father than I am of my son,” Galvez said.
But remembering sacrifices is only a part of what this memorial is about.
The Utah Freedom Memorial was built mainly to educate people, especially young people, on the cost of freedom.
"Freedom is not free,” Bill Dunlap, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Europe, the Far East, and in Vietnam, said.
"Maybe some young child will stop and look and say, ‘What does that mean?’ ”
There are essays written by children on the memorial. Some of the essays are about battles, losses and even prisoner of war camps.
"Last night, my wife and I came and we just sat on the bench and pondered,” Robert Moss said. Moss is a U.S. Army veteran who came to the memorial dedication.
“We thought about what had happened, what the people have gone through, and all of these kinds of experiences and where they are now.”
No matter what side you're on politically, maybe we can all agree, we should never forget what that true cost of freedom is.
"All that have served, all that are going to serve, all that have been wounded, and all that didn't come back,” Galvez said.
The Utah Freedom Memorial is located on the south side of Sandy City Hall.
