My friend Lugene Clark helped me get through algebra class in high school. He was one of the smartest young men I knew. After graduating, he joined the Marines and went to Vietnam. He died there a few days before his 18th birthday. I still grieve for him. On Memorial Day, I am reminded of how much he sacrificed for us. His death meant so little in comparison to the life he never got to live.

He is, of course, one of the many whose names appear on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

I have also chosen to remember him at the Veteran's Memorial in Lake in the Hills. May you rest in peace, Lugene.