By Andrew Wang, Opinion Editor | City of La Follette, Howe County

Today the citizens of Badger Boys State were presented with a special video presentation regarding the burial of fallen veterans in the United States.

Before watching the video, I already had lots of respect for veterans and what they have done for our country; however, after watching the video, I realized how much myself and others have been taking them for granted and how much of an integral part of our society they are even for the smallest things.

In the past, I have always respected our veterans for sacrificing and putting their lives on the line in order to protect our nation and protect our rights.

Specifically, I thought that veterans fought exclusively for our rights of Constitutional liberties including but not limited to freedom of press, freedom of speech and democracy in general. Furthermore, I believe that this previous view I had is not unique to me but also believed by many other people.

The movie completely changed my outlook on impacts veterans have on society. In the movie, citizens were all paying respects which made me think about the true impacts of veterans. Then I realized this true impact; every single luxury that we get to experience is because of veterans. From my computer to the food I eat, veterans are to thank for these items.

So, I would like to personally thank all the veterans for their service and pose this question to everyone else: What things in your life have been because of vets?