Today we observe Veterans Day, the day during which 90 percent of us recognize the debt we owe the other 10 percent.

As we consider the blessings of liberty we enjoy because of the sacrifice of America's military veterans, we realize it is a debt we will never be able to repay.

Veterans Day 2009 is especially poignant because of events locally and nationally. Last week, 27- year-old Issac Jackson was laid to rest in Lathrop, Mo. We mourn the death of this brave soldier, who died while serving in Afghanistan. His wife is now a young widow, raising their son and expecting the couple's second child. We are reminded that veterans alone do not bear their burden of protecting our country; their families make sacrifices more costly than most of want to imagine.

As a nation, we grieve at the violence that tore through Fort Hood and took the lives of 13 soldiers and injured 30 others. The shooting rampage brings home the fact that danger is a constant threat, both at home and abroad. For the most part, though, the rest of us rest easy because members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are on the job, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Northwest Missouri proves especially fertile ground for military commitment. Federal statistics show that in the 6th Congressional District, which includes the counties in this part of the state, 12.1 percent of civilian residents 18 and older are veterans. That number exceeds the national percentage (10.1 percent) and the statewide percentage (11.6 percent). In Buchanan County, about 12.3 percent of the adult population are veterans.

Today, we take a moment to thank them for their service, the sacrifice that allows us to live, work, worship, protest and sleep in peace.

Take a moment today to personally thank a veteran. Participate in corporate activity that honors those who served, or applaud veterans as they pass in today's St. Joseph parade, which begins downtown at 2 p.m.

We realize we can never repay the debt, but we will always be grateful. Thank you, veterans.