Memorial Day: A day to remember those who have died for our freedom

During the Memorial Day weekend, many of us visit with family and friends. We go to the beach. We barbeque our favorite foods. We enjoy a day off from work.

But we cannot forget the men and women who came before us and died for us. We can’t forget the men and women who sacrificed their lives so that we can live in America and enjoy the freedoms that we have in this nation.

Take a second and think about some of the other countries on this planet and challenges that people have to overcome just to stay alive.

Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who have died for us – men like the late Major Stephen Reich, who grew up in Washington Depot, a small town in northwestern Connecticut.

Reich was an athletic star at Shepaug Valley High. He was the most valuable player in 1987 when Shepaug beat Ansonia, 2-1 to win the Class S championship. His Shepaug team beat then-defending Class S champion Canton in the semifinals at Walker Field in Winsted, 6-2.

Reich went on to become an ace pitcher for Army at West Point and was eventually signed to a pro contract with the Baltimore Orioles. But when the Army called him for duty, he reported and did his job as an Army Special Forces helicopter pilot and commander. His life ended in Afghanistan at the age of 34 on a rescue mission.

• Read more about Stephen Reich from Paul Doyle of the Hartford Courant.
• Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Reich family lived in Ohio until Stephen was nine before moving to Connecticut where Stephen’s dad taught at the Gunnery in Washington Depot.
• FOX Sports profiles the life of Stephen Reich
• Waterbury Republican American: Everyone knows the hero in a small town