Rob Lubovich will have a cookout today, with friends and family taking part in the cheeseburgers, potato salad and watermelon. There will be plenty of red, white and blue in his home in downtown Hobart.

But those colors have more depth and meaning now. Much more.

Standing up when the American flag passes by during the parade isn't something done casually by Lubovich. Not anymore.

"I know what that stands for," he said. "I know about the blood that was shed so we can enjoy our freedom."

Lubovich graduated from Hobart in 2002, after a senior season in which the center midfielder and attacking forward scored 24 goals for the Brickies and was named first-team all-state. But the memory and pain of 9/11 pushed the talented soccer player in a more-important direction.

He joined the U.S. Marines and the rest is history.

"I didn't know what would happen," he said of the first push into Iraq in 2003. "Every convoy ahead of mine or behind mine got blown up. It was scary. I was lucky."

Take a moment and think of all the Region athletes that used to amaze us with their athletic skill and desire to win. I think of Griffith's Shane Radtke. Or Chesterton's Jeff Smith. Or Andrean's Rob Caldwell. Or Crown Point's Alex Rasmussen. Or former North Newton athletic director Greg Willis or the Spartans' wrestling coach Bruce Cunningham.

These men, and thousands more, gave the ultimate sacrifice. They left the comforts of home and the embrace of those who loved them the most to put their lives in danger for a stranger.

"There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of home," Lubovich said.

Lubovich has been home for seven months. But the economy has kept him from finding a job with a living wage. If you know anyone looking to hire a hero, please send me an e-mail and I'll attempt to connect you with him.

In Iraq, Lubovich saw the smiles and waves of thankful people, but he also saw the blood and death. He knows that many family members will be standing for a flag knowing a loved one gave the greatest gift of all: their life.

The brats and beer can wait a moment. Don't forget the reason for the parades, sparklers and bottle rockets.

"I've never had a harder time than the four years in the Marines," said Lubovich, who left the military as a corporal and a squad leader, and with a chest full of medals. "It wasn't easy at all. There were a lot of sleepless nights. But a lot of people there were thankful. When we drove by they'd come to the road and yell, 'Thank you. Thank you.'

"A lot of little kids looked up to you. Some kissed our hand."

Independence Day will never be the same for him.

"It's a lot different now," he said of his understanding of today. "Now I know what all the veterans before went through. I know the sacrifice and bloodshed that comes with the Fourth of July. It is something I'll never forget."

Nor should any of us.

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at steve.hanlon@nwi.com.