Today, let’s put aside the rancor, the bitterness, the divisiveness.

Today, let’s forget partisan politics, and just celebrate the good in people.

Today, let’s honor the heroes.

The obvious heroes on this Veterans Day are America’s military ones, of course. The ones who’ve put their lives on the line, and their family lives somewhat on hold, to be stationed in unfamiliar territory or a faraway country. Today honors all who have served in the military, including those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, never coming home.

Beyond military service, there are many other heroes among us, working to keep us safe and secure every day.

Notably, these are our community first responders — firefighters, police officers, lifeguards and other emergency workers — who will risk their own health and safety in the service of others. Scarcely has there been more dramatic evidence of this than the harrowing stories from the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire, in which frontline responders — and Good Samaritans — ran toward danger, not away from it, to help others.

People such as Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Marzilli, who recently received that agency’s highest award for peacetime bravery. As the Lahaina fire raged, Marzilli and fellow rescuer Travis DeWater jumped into the ocean with surfboards and paddled mightily toward the harbor to rescue dozens. Together with others — civilian boat skippers Crissy Lovitt, Emma Nelson and Lashawna Garnier, among them — this band of strangers “fearlessly navigated through dense smoke and intense flames,” one commendation letter detailed. “The decision to put yourself in harm’s way … was a lifeline for those who had lost everything.”

The makeshift flotilla’s death-defying efforts saved nearly 60 people in the Lahaina harbor and shore that day, people who were otherwise trapped by the raging inferno that would level the town.

Myriad other acts of Lahaina heroism are detailed in the state’s probe into the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Calling the investigation “a wake-up call” for government agencies to urgently improve and prepare for the future, Hawaii’s attorney general also said it revealed “many instances of great heroism, and I wish to particularly commend Maui’s firefighters and police officers for their professionalism and bravery in extremely difficult circumstances.”

Many lives were saved by first responders placing themselves in extreme danger between unpredictable fire fronts and vulnerable residents, the report found. Such selflessness in the face of real dangers and risks is the nature of true heroism.

Courage of another kind was seen this past week, when election workers nationwide remained steadfast in the face of personal and bomb threats that sought to undermine free and fair elections for this country’s 345 million people. After several explosions destroyed ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington state, the apprehension grew so high that good-government and civic organizations came together to recognize Nov. 4 as Election Hero Day, supporting elections officials and poll workers as they ensured a safe, secure voting experience for all Americans.

The fact that the democratic process stayed strong — with a peaceful and orderly presidential transition now in the offing — is profound on this Veterans Day.

“This nation will remain the land of the free only as long as it is home of the brave,” WWII journalist Elmer Davis once said.

So today, let’s realize that good works by good people cannot be underestimated. They lift our spirits, they help us heal, they appeal to our better angels.

Be inspired by the many acts of honor and bravery — and recall that inspiration as our polarized nation moves steadfastly forward, not backward.

As we go on with our everyday lives, realize that 1 of every 2 Americans voted for “the other side” for president. And remember that, when it truly counts, which side that is doesn’t really matter. People can and will save each other, if we dare try.