Following a weekend dedicated to recognizing those who made the ultimate sacrifice for country,  it’s fitting  that, starting next week, the children and spouses of active-duty military personnel  can now swim for free at John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool in Oak Harbor.

As the result of an agreement struck between the public pools in Oak Harbor and Anacortes and Whidbey Island Naval Air Station’s office of Moral, Welfare and Recreation, pool admission will be fully covered for active duty personnel and their families.

This is a well-deserved perk. It’s not only the active duty personnel who serve their countries, the spouses and children do as well.

While they may not be off fighting wars, they serve in other ways, sacrificing on the homefront.

In many cases, military spouses move from community to community as their husbands or wives are assigned to new duty stations. This can make it hard for spouses to continue with their careers or to find jobs in new locations.

Their children must adjust to new homes, schools and communities.

The stress of long deployments can affect the wellness of military families.

According to Oak Harbor pool staff, more than half of the patrons are active-duty, dependents or military retirees.

In April more than 1,000 active-duty military and their families used the pool.The Navy community is an integral part of Whidbey Island and the Navy families that live here also work and contribute to the community and local economy.

Though a small gesture, free pool admission is a great way of telling local military families that their sacrifices are recognized and appreciated.