Many of us recall the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” Next Wednesday, Nov. 11, we pay tribute to our American veterans and to all of our current armed service personnel. They are never to be forgotten. We are indebted to them and we salute them for their extraordinary bravery and noble sacrifice. And to their loved ones, we pay tribute as well.

The story of America has been written, in large part, by the selfless and noble deeds of hard working and dedicated men and women committed to liberty and justice in a free society. Our American Veterans and Service Personnel are, among others, truly endemic of that ranking. We commemorate Veterans’ Day to honor the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces. We pay tribute to them for their virtuous defense of our homeland and liberty, and thank them for their sacrifice on our behalf. As General Norman Schwarzkopf often quipped, “It doesn’t take a hero to order people into battle, it takes a hero to be one of those individuals who go into battle.”

Over the course of our history, some 42 million Americans have served — and more than one million have given the supreme sacrifice — so that we and future generations of Americans might live in freedom. We, as Americans, are the beneficiaries of their noble courage, unselfish sacrifice and untiring dedication; and so, too, are countless freedom-loving people around the world.

In the past century alone, through two world wars and the long, tense struggles of the Cold War and on the front lines in places such as Korea, Vietnam, Beirut, Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, the Persian Gulf, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan, our brave men and women in and out of uniform have risked their lives. They risked all they had to protect U.S. interests, assist our allies and promote peaceful security. They fought our enemies on foreign shores, at sea and in the air to preserve freedom.

President Kennedy once said, “Democracy is never a final achievement. It is a call to untiring effort, to continual sacrifice and to the willingness, if necessary, to die in its defense.” We give thanks to the veterans and to the current members of our Armed Forces for showing that willingness. Whether serving on bases and in ports at home or deployed across the globe, they have endured hardship and danger to protect our Nation and to defend freedom-loving people around the world. Their deeds of commitment and valor bind us in our past, inspire us in the present and strengthen us to meet the demanding challenges of the future. George Patton was known to have said, “It is wrong for us to mound the lost that died in battle. Rather we should thank God that such individuals had lived.” That is how we see it from our perspective and we honor them!

By Robert L. Heichberger