HAMPTON — A Gold Star father will speak at American Legion Post 35’s annual memorial service on Sept. 11, reflecting on the cost of freedom and honoring those lost in the Global War on Terrorism .

Rye Selectman Michael Coutu knows that cost intimately. His son, Army Second Lt. Matthew Coutu , was 23 when he was killed on June 27, 2005, while stationed in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom .

Just one day later, Coutu said, Navy SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Healy — a graduate of Exeter High School — died alongside 15 other U.S. troops when their Chinook helicopter was shot down during a rescue mission in Afghanistan. The operation, known as Red Wings, was later memorialized in the book and film "Lone Survivor."

“The life we have here is because of the sacrifices

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