The freedom and opportunities we have as Americans are not coincidence or happenstance — they are a gift for which we should be grateful, for which we should often reflect upon and for which we should acknowledge the role bravery and sacrifice have fulfilled and will fulfill in securing that precious freedom and opportunity.

Often in our history, Americans lost their lives to defend those principles. More often Americans risked losing their lives to defend those principles.

They bore those risks in founding our country and committing it to the Bill of Rights. They bore those risks when freedoms’ enemies sought to preserve slavery.

They bore those risks in defending the idea that Europeans deserved the freedoms and opportunities Nazism and fascism sought to deny men and women and that people throughout the world deserved the freedoms and opportunities Marxism sought to deny men and women.

They more recently bore those risks against militant religious extremism and terror.

We hope every family throughout our region will attend the Veterans Day parade Saturday in Montgomery or other Veterans Day observances.

We believe it is important young Americans learn this history and understand why Americans who served in our armed forces recognized the value — the worth — of our principles and chose to defend them.

We can never say often enough that we appreciate the hard work of the volunteers who coordinate and organize the Veterans Day parade, the Veterans Day service in Montoursville on Tuesday, and all the ceremonies and tributes to the service of America’s veterans.

And every day, we hope we’re equipping children so their generation can understand the gratitude due to our veterans. If we’re successful, they in turn will teach their children.

We hope Americans — of all ages, now and far into the future — appreciate the willingness to risk everything the men and women of the armed services display and have displayed throughout our nation’s history.