Service deserves, at the very least, appreciation.
Military service is a contribution, with no strings attached, to the welfare of others.
Veterans Day, celebrated each year on Nov. 11, is a time set aside to thank military personnel for their service to our nation, to its citizens and to the ideal of liberty.
Elsewhere on this page, writers suggest specific methods to demonstrate appreciation. Tom Taft proposes combining Veterans Day and Election Day into a single national holiday. Lois B. Pope advocates transforming Nov. 11 into a national day of service.
Those ideas - like the many celebrations surrounding Veterans Day - have merit, precisely because they are prompted by heartfelt gratitude.
The Missouri Veterans Commission "encourages all Missourians to take a moment ... to thank a veteran or active duty military for what they have given and the sacrifices they have made."
An opportune way to show appreciation is to attend one or more of the area events honoring veterans. Among them:
• Lincoln University will hold a continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at Scruggs University Center, with remarks by Missouri Adjutant Gen. Steve Danner. The event will be followed by a 9 a.m. dedication of the Blue Star Memorial "By-Way Marker" at Soldiers Hall, 903 Lafayette St.
• An annual Mass to honor veterans will begin at 8:30 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church. The Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor Don Lammers, now pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Eldon.
• A Veterans Tribute will be held at 9:30 a.m. at Freedom Corner, located at the intersection of East High and East McCarty streets. Speakers include Dave Griffith, a Vietnam veteran; Missouri National Guard Lt. Col. (ret.) Don Koonce and Lincoln University ROTC Cadet Natalia Pomales-Rivera.
• The Capitol Rotunda again will be the site of the Jefferson City Veterans Council Veterans Day program. The keynote speaker will be Charles Goodin, past state commander of the American Legion and an active member of local Post 5.
"We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who gave of their time and lives so we could live free," Missouri Veterans Commission Executive Director Larry D. Kay said.
Words of appreciation take on added significance when expressed by people who also take the time and effort to attend Veterans Day tributes.