This week, just before today’s historic anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, two local agencies held beautiful ceremonies that were fitting in light of remembering those who lost their lives in that tragedy 12 years ago.

Monday night, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7016 officially retired the mortgage note the post had been paying on its local headquarters. The following day, Tuesday morning, the local chapter of Woodmen of the World presented new U.S. flags to each of the area’s schools.

While Sept. 11 is a somber anniversary, it is also an opportunity to remember those things that make us proud to be Americans. We are proud of our men and women in uniform who fought valiantly on the field of battle, like the members of VFW Post 7016.

We know that even today they are sacrificing their lives and efforts to keep us free. We are equally proud of groups like the Woodmen of the World, who treat our U.S. flag and other patriotic emblems with the respect they deserve.

We hope that our schools will fly the Stars and Stripes proudly thanks to Woodmen’s donations. It is one thing to simply say “We will never forget,” but thanks to groups like the VFW and Woodmen, we can also show that we will never forget.