A few weeks ago, we celebrated the brave men and women who have served this country and paid dearly for that. I've never been on a battlefield, never seen my friends blown up, never suffered a loss of limb or mobility, never endured the deep psychological wounds so many of our fine soldiers have, never returned home a broken shell, the mere shadow of the person I used to be — all to protect my fellow Americans (you and me) at all costs. Now I'm being asked to protect my fellow Americans in the simplest way possible — by wearing a little piece of cloth over my face.

I'm not facing enemy gunfire for my country, but I am facing an unseen enemy that can't be stopped by gunfire. But, it can be stopped by a mask. So, I wear a mask for you.

I, too, have sleep apnea, but I wear a mask for you.

My mask is uncomfortable, but I wear it for you.

It’s hard to breathe through the mask, but, I wear it for you.

My mask pushes my glasses up, requiring frequent adjustments, but I wear the mask for you.

Sometimes my glasses fog up, but I wear my mask for you.

I get really hot when I wear a mask, but it’s important to me that I wear it for you.

You matter to me, your family matters to me. You have dreams, and a future that you deserve to have. So, I wear a mask for you.

Given a choice between going into battle and wearing a mask, I think the brave heroes we just celebrated would choose to wear a mask instead of leaving their families and giving up their lives for you. So, I wear a mask for them — to honor their bravery and sacrifice.

I'm a full-time caregiver to three seniors in my family. I am a senior with chronic bronchitis and asthma. If I get COVID-19, there will be no one to care for my parents and brother. Please wear a mask for me.

Ann M. Guinn of Seattle, Washington is a friend of Sandra Perkins, a Boothbay Harbor native who lives in Seattle. Perkins thought the piece was worthy of sharing with our local readers.