We should never settle for being the best. We should constantly go from good to great, ensuring military personnel can perform at peak with all the advantages they should expect from the community in which they live, work, play and bring up children.

Wednesday’s annual Colorado Springs Western Street Breakfast provides just one small example of how our community supports the armed forces. An iconic celebration of Western heritage, it raises funds to support local military personnel and their families. An array of other events and nonprofits also serve this role.

Our community should never stop learning what more we can do to provide the best schools, housing, roads leading to and from military operations, and services near bases.

Colorado Springs has become the envy of the country. It has ranked twice in the past two years, in a U.S. News & World Report survey, as the city most Americans would choose to live in if given unlimited options. That is because the Springs supports entrepreneurs, artists, business owners, professionals and workers of all kinds – including the men and women who keep our country sovereign and free. They are our relatives, neighbors and friends, and we appreciate their service.

As a community of diverse professions and trades, we have long cherished the role of military host. It is an honor and privilege. We should protect and polish this role, doing our part to remain the gold standard.