I’m spending Veterans Day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, beneath the Teton Range in a community blessed with extraordinary prosperity. According to federal income figures, Teton County recorded per capita personal income of $532,903 in 2024, the highest in the nation for the 21st straight year. That figure reflects substantial investment income and does not describe what the typical resident earns, but it illustrates the wealth concentrated in this valley.

Yet as I looked through local announcements for Veterans Day, I found comparatively little publicity about businesses offering veterans the complimentary meals, coffee, and discounts so common back home in Northern Virginia.

I confess that disappointed me.

In Northern Virginia, where military families fill many neighborhoods, Veterans Day brings an outpouring of gratitude. Restaurants, coffee shops, retailers, and ordinary citizens take time to recognize those who wore the uniform. A veteran could easily spend the entire day moving from one establishment to another, accepting small tokens of appreciation.

No veteran served his country hoping for a free hamburger. But those gestures say something important: We remember. We appreciate what you did.

A closer look, however, showed that plenty of people in Jackson Hole understand this, too.

The Jackson Hole American Legion Post 43 is leading the annual Veterans Day ceremony on Town Square. Afterward, the Jackson Police Department hosts its seventh annual Veterans Day Ruck March and Can Drive, inviting residents to walk, run, or ruck 11.11 miles and donate food. Every donation goes to Jackson Cupboard, the valley’s food pantry.

The Jackson Hole Elks Lodge is hosting its annual Veterans Day dinner with a guest speaker, and the high school and other groups have planned lunches and events throughout the week.

These efforts deserve recognition. I hope they inspire more.

But why should Veterans Day matter so much?

The holiday began as Armistice Day, marking the end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation renaming it Veterans Day to honor Americans who served in all our nation’s wars. The Department of Veterans Affairs says the day honors veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Unlike Memorial Day, which specifically honors those who died in military service, Veterans Day recognizes all who served, especially those still among us.

Living veterans are not names engraved on memorials or figures in history books. They are our neighbors, parents, grandparents, coworkers, and friends. Many carry memories and burdens the rest of us will never fully understand.

My family has served this country for generations, from ancestors who fought in the American Revolution through the wars that followed.

I spent 24 years on active duty as an Army officer, followed by another 22 years serving as a civilian strategist at the Pentagon. Those decades introduced me to remarkable Americans from every walk of life. Some came from prosperous families. Others brought little more than grit and patriotism.

I knew men who never returned from combat. I have known wounded warriors whose sacrifices remain evident every day of their lives. And I have witnessed the quiet burdens carried by military spouses, children, and parents who shared in the uncertainty and hardship of service.

Military service is never abstract. Behind every uniform stands a person with hopes, responsibilities, loved ones, and a future that the decision to serve may change forever.

I am proud to have served my country. Given the opportunity, I would do it all over again.

Scripture tells us why Americans must take this day seriously. In Luke 12:48, Jesus teaches, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” Blessings bring responsibilities.

Americans enjoy rare freedoms: to worship, speak, raise families, earn a living, and govern ourselves. Those blessings came at a price.

Military personnel are not alone in sustaining our republic. Families, churches, teachers, public servants, and many others contribute to its strength. But when our country faced grave threats, Americans in uniform stepped forward to defend it, sometimes at the cost of everything they held dear.

The Apostle Paul also instructs Christians to give “respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Romans 13:7, ESV).

Veterans Day is a fitting occasion to obey it.

A complimentary meal or cup of coffee cannot repay years of military service. Neither can a parade, a speech, or a ceremonial salute. Yet each can communicate something valuable, especially when offered sincerely.

We can do more. Parents can teach their children why November 11 matters. Churches can honor veterans from the pulpit and stand with military families. Businesses can make appreciation visible, and communities can help veterans who struggle with employment, housing, or the lasting wounds of service.

And all of us can listen.

Ask a veteran about his or her service. Learn something about the sacrifices made by earlier generations. Help young Americans understand that freedom carries obligations and that honorable military service remains among the noblest ways to fulfill them.

The world is growing more dangerous, not less. America will always need capable young men and women willing to defend it. They should grow up in a culture that respects service and honors sacrifice.

That brings me back to Jackson Hole.

I would like to see more local merchants publicly recognize veterans, particularly in a community to which so much has been given. But I am grateful for the American Legion, police officers, Elks members, educators, and residents who are already making Veterans Day meaningful here.

Their example shows that gratitude has little to do with wealth or the size of a gift. What counts is whether we remember, whether we care, and whether we act.

On this Veterans Day, my thoughts are with the men and women who answered their country’s call, with the families who stood beside them, and with those whose sacrifices continue long after their service ended.

To my fellow veterans, thank you. I know something of what you have given, and I count it among the great privileges of my life to have served alongside Americans like you.

May our nation never take your service for granted.

Freedom is costly. Gratitude should never be cheap.