While Memorial Day remembers the fallen, Veterans Day is a day of appreciation—a day to thank everybody who has sworn the oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies. It’s a day to remember a soldier doesn’t have to fall in battle to have sacrificed for this country.

And it’s a day for each of us to remember that when soldiers swear to defend this country, this country is more than a political boundary, more than an ideal. This country is us. It’s me. It’s a day to remember there are men and women out there willing, if necessary, to give their lives for me. For my children. My home. My rights.

“Thank you” just doesn’t seem like enough. But say it anyway.