To the Editor:

Where has some of the respect for others gone? During this month of July we all celebrate the freedoms we have in the great United States of America. We truly are very fortunate for all the freedoms we have.We should also remember to show respect for all those who have given their lives and all those who have given their time and also all those who give their time so we can be free.One wonders where some of the respect for our veterans who fought and gave their time and their lives for our freedoms has gone to.We also must continue to respect and thank all of the current service people who sacrifice and give to us every day.I applaud all of us who regard our veterans with the respect they deserve. I also wonder what happened to some people in Jim Thorpe this year who decided that on Memorial Day that our veterans weren't deserving of a parade or even of the Jim Thorpe Area High school band to play at the cemeteries in Jim Thorpe to honor our veterans and pay homage to all the fallen veterans of all the wars who gave their lives so we can enjoy our current freedoms.I hope next year that Jim Thorpe will reconsider and will show respect for our veterans and resume the Memorial Day parade and resume the Jim Thorpe Area High School band playing for our veterans of Jim Thorpe on Memorial Day. It's not too much to give our veterans a couple hours of our time.I took a World War II veteran to the Memorial Day services at the cemeteries in Jim Thorpe this year and the band and parade were sincerely missed by many.Some of us also each respect for those of us who give our time 24/7 to provide services to all citizens of all of our communities.I've been a registered nurse for over 30 years and I see some of the lack of respect that our police officers, our fire responders, our ambulance responders, and all other people who work around the clock; through weekends, holidays, and storms etc. receive. These people make sure everyone is safe and taken care of and they need our support and our respect.My hat goes off, especially to the police officers. Our police officers provide so much for everyone and they essentially do a thankless job. Often they are criticized by others as they do their job. So thank you police officers for all you do.So please this month (and every month) as we celebrate our freedoms, let's thank those and show respect for those who keep us safe. Let's always celebrate what we have and also be thankful.Respectfully submitted by a concerned citizen of Jim Thorpe,Susan Meckes, RN