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While the nation stops every Nov. 11 and calls attention to our military veterans, in truth every day should be Veterans Day.

That’s because of the sacrifice so many made over so long should not, and really, cannot, be forgotten.

We collectively pause on Nov. 11 — as we should — and recognize as a nation our veterans but there is always the risk that after the day fades the importance of it dissipates.

We are, like it or not, a nation made by war. Our history is rife with examples of conflict, usually forced upon us. At every crisis our nation responded by sending its best — young men and women — to foreign shores to fight and sometimes die.

Those sacrifices for liberty and democracy mean something and can’t be regulated to the dust bin of history.

Yet seldom is a conflict, a war, thought out to the end of the proverbial tape. We cheer our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen when they depart and welcome them home but little thought is given to the long-term cost of those sacrifices.

Wars cost money and the fragments of war — those who are wounded or suffer from mental anguish from their service — require care.

That’s why most voters should be more than just tangentially aware of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The department is the key pillar in caring for our veterans, and understanding its budget, its policy goals, its ability to function, should be a key goal for voters.

Americans tend to keep the focus on a conflict as long as it continues, but once the guns fall silent we get back to business as fast as possible. Over the past few decades, we’ve operated in a kind of business as usual manner even as major conflicts raged on.

Our debt to our veterans remains one we can never repay. They need the best care possible and should not be forgotten. Veterans Day is a key time to remember them but we should recall their service and sacrifice every day.

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As always, if you have comments or questions about the East Oregonian, or want to pass along a story idea, send me an email at this address: acutler@eastoregonian.com.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the East Oregonian’s subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support.

Andrew Cutler is the publisher and editor of the East Oregonian.