In the early hours of June 6, 1944, under the cover of night, the largest airborne operation in history began: the opening moves of the Allied invasion of Normandy. The assault saw thousands of paratroopers from the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions drop behind enemy lines in occupied France. Their mission was to capture key bridges and secure the flanks of the beaches where the seaborne invasion would land at dawn. As the planes roared overhead, flak from German anti-aircraft guns filled the skies, and the paratroopers faced a chaotic and perilous descent into darkness.

The bravery and tenacity of the airborne forces on that fateful night paved the way for the Allied forces to establish a foothold in Normandy, marking the beginning of the end of Nazi occupation of Western Europe.

Recently, to mark the 80th anniversary of the invasion, I visited some of the first towns in Normandy that the 82nd and 101st Airborne fought to secure that day, Sainte-Mère-Église and Grandcamp-Maisy. In those towns, and across the entire Norman landscape, I received a powerful reminder of the gratitude that still exists for the courage shown and sacrifices made by those young men 80 years ago.

Everywhere we looked, we could see physical proof of this gratitude: American flags hung from buildings, French children wore shirts adorned with the faces of American WWII-era heroes, and signs honoring fallen American soldiers adorned lampposts on the main thoroughfares. The veterans of D-Day who were present for the celebrations were hailed by the locals as heroes, and America herself was acclaimed as a liberator. I wish I could take every high school student in America to those villages so they could see for themselves the gratitude that still endures 80 years later. Across the seas, in villages in a foreign country, the courage and sacrifices of the young men of D-Day have not been forgotten.

As we come together this week with our friends and families to celebrate the 248th anniversary of America’s independence, we must remember the courage shown throughout our history in pursuit of the impossible and the sacrifices that were made to those ends. D-Day demanded exceptional courage from the soldiers who plunged into the dark, enemy-filled night. The gains they made were crucial, but came at a steep cost, with 2,500 American soldiers dying on the first day alone.

When the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the document they signed had them pledge their “Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” to each other. This was more than just words on parchment, for they knew that the act of declaring open rebellion against the strongest military the world had ever seen meant putting everything they held dear on the line. The sacrifices made by that generation were heavy: By the time of the British surrender at Yorktown, more than 20,000 American soldiers and countless civilians had given their lives so that their children could live in a free country.

That spirit of courage and sacrifice is not confined to the past; it is a living legacy that continues to define the American military today. From the local militia armed with their own muskets at Lexington and Concord, to the GI’s who stormed the beaches of Normandy, to my fellow Green Berets who lost their lives in Afghanistan, America’s history is owed to those virtues.

The future of the “American Experiment,” which started 248 years ago this week, depends on our own efforts to remember and embody the principles that have guided us for nearly two and a half centuries. This July 4, let us honor the bravery of those who came before us by renewing our commitment to building a country that is worthy of the sacrifices that have been made in its name. The courage and sacrifices of our forefathers laid the foundation of our nation, and it is our duty to build upon it.

Mike Waltz represents Florida’s 6th Congressional District. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Elect Committee on Intelligence. He is an Army National Guard colonel (ret.) and combat decorated green beret.