Note: Today we pause to acknowledge the people and groups who make the Central Susquehanna Valley a better place to call home. Readers may nominate individuals for recognition by e-mailing the identity of the nominee and a brief description of his or her outstanding action. Write to: jfinnerty@dailyitem.com.

A tip of the hat to those who placed more than 4,000 flags in the ground to create a Field of Honor in Elysburg to acknowledge the deaths of all the American soldiers killed fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group added six yellow flags to honor Northumberland County's fallen soldiers -- Sgt. Brent Swank, of Northumberland, Sgt. Dale Lloyd, of Watsontown, Capt. Robert Scheetz Jr., a Shamokin native, Spc. Matthew Sandri, of Shamokin, Spc. Zachariah Long, of Milton, and Staff Sgt., Michael Quinn, a Line Mountain graduate. The Field of Honor is part of Elysburg's All Home Days events, which officially begins on Aug. 30. Those visiting the festival ought to take the time to pause and consider the sobering reminder created by the veterans and other volunteers last week.

... and a tip of the hat to the Community Harvest and several other free public meals regularly sponsored by church and service organizations in the region. The Community Harvest is a free meal offered every Monday at St. Andrews Church in Milton. Organizers say the meal relies on the generosity of donors and volunteers, including those from Bucknell University. The Community Harvest attracts as many as 200 diners a week, some who come for the chance to eat dinner surrounded by friends and neighbors, while others are attracted by the opportunity to get a decent meal at no cost. The efforts of those who make such free meals possible fill both voids, and the region is better because of it.

... and a tip of the hat to the region's hospitals. Recently released federal data shows that several measures indicate that local medical care is on par with industry standards. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released data showing the percentage of people who died while receiving treatment for heart attacks, heart failure or pneumonia at hospitals nationwide. In almost all cases, local hospitals reported death rates close enough to the national averages that the difference was statistically insignificant.