Real patriotism consists of respectfully tending to our mutual responsibilities as citizens, as exemplified by a Pacific County coast guardsman.

If Pacific County people needed any reminder, our primary front page story last week about Coast Guardsman Jon Swanson illustrated why we so appreciate our neighbors who are active and retired military.

Swanson, who with his family and other helpers last year restored access to Deadman’s Cove near Station Cape Disappointment, is a stellar example of community-minded volunteerism.

How many of us have noticed litter along local highways and thought someone ought to do something about it? Swanson, who undoubtedly is as busy as any of us, put on a safety vest and gloves, and almost literally dived into the messy task of scouring several years of accumulated debris out of the overgrown grass, ferns, blackberries and bushes along an ever-expanding length of south county roads.

If we routinely handed out awards for “Local Hero,” Swanson would certainly now be a two-time winner.

Thanks also to Peninsula Sanitation for its valuable role in supporting the cleanup.

The Coast Guard is, of course, treasured here where so many earn a living or recreate on the water. It hardly bears thinking of how we could ever get by without them.

Memorial Day is our nation’s official time to honor those in the military who have made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in defense of freedom. Along with Veterans Day in November, it helps us maintain a measure of gratitude for all who devote years of their lives to maintaining the foundations of national security and well being.

Many who have done so come away with a lifetime commitment to public service — as well-trained and disciplined community members, volunteers and family members. Pacific County is well endowed with these valuable citizens.

As others have observed, it’s regrettable that relatively few nowadays experience the training, camaraderie and sense of shared mission that accompany military or similar types of service. This may, in part, explain the creeping feeling some have that the U.S. is fragmenting.

We have so much to be grateful for and so much that we still share in common. Memorial Day is a reason to remember our painful and hard-bought heritage. These are ties that should always bind us together in everyday mutual respect, as strongly as we were formerly united in times of national peril.