Today we thank and honor the people who have done their patriotic duty to our country through service in the military. None of us should ever underestimate the importance of that service, or the sacrifice that it entailed. Similarly, we should not underestimate the opportunities available for us to do our patriotic duty in non-military ways: Not just the duty to vote, but the duty to form and express opinions – through dissent, demonstration, and the organizing of political opposition to those in power – is patriotism in its own right. The opportunity for us to serve in peace is what our military veterans have served and sacrificed for in war.
As Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country.”