A Brookfield family spent their first Memorial Day this year without their loved one who was killed in action. 28-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew Thompson was supporting fellow soldiers when an IED took his life.
Memorial Day took on a deeper meaning for the Gold Star family.
"It's really bringing bringing honor to those who have fought for a cause," said Mark Thompson, Matthew's father.
"It has become much more personal and much more real," said Lynda Thompson, his mother.
Mark and Lynda Thompson hosted a Memorial Day picnic for close friends and family.
"There's grief, there's pride, there's mourning and there's a certain joy knowing that we're surrounded by people that really care about us because they cared about our son," said Mark Thompson.
Matthew Thompson was a medic and Green Beret in the Army Special Forces.
"Our freedom is not free. It comes with a cost," said Lynda Thompson.
A sacrifice never to be forgotten.
"For us Memorial Day is every day. That's when we remember him, every day," said Mark Thompson.
