Hats off to American Legion Post No. 37 for conducting a ceremony last month to honor the Stanfield Police Department.

The post’s honor guard showcased the outdoor ceremony where post commander Aaron Wettering presented each of the police department’s officers with a certificate of appreciation along with a small monetary gift.

The small ceremony could have been one of those events easy to miss, but its significance was huge. The post and the police department represent two elements of our nation that often do not receive the kind of recognition they deserve.

There are around 19 million veterans in the U.S. and all of them deserve thanks from a grateful nation. They don’t always get that thanks. That’s a shame. As a nation we should hold our veterans up as a shining example of what it means to make a sacrifice for our republic and honor them on a consistent basis.

Many of them not only sacrificed time but many lost much more in combat, including memories that will forever be a part of their lives.

Police, too, in this nation face a difficult task. They all too often are recognized for the misdeeds of a few and then painted with the same brush. Our police, especially in rural areas of the state — face a difficult job that can be made more difficult by chronic underfunding and the wavering nature of dangerous crime.

They don’t receive the kind of recognition they should, and that is why the ceremony by American Legion Post No. 37 was significant and a very good way to shine a little light on a profession we depend on.

Our police and veterans will never get the type of recognition they not only deserve but the Legion post’s little ceremony goes a long way toward filling that gap.