Today is Election Day, and no matter what party you plan to vote for, I’m hoping you remember that America is at war.

The men and women fighting the war on terror are registered in all the political parties and come in all colors and ethnicities. By all means, continue to loathe those in charge if you must, but now is the time to show you’re sincere when you say you support the troops. They are truly the finest generation, and some are from New York City.

A humorous banner made by a Minnesota National Guard member in response to Senator Kerry’s “botched joke” provoked quite a bit of Internet commentary. One remark caught my attention: It thanked the troops from “flyover country” for their understanding and efforts to defend Americans’ rights.

That poster obviously believes the East and West coasts have not provided any valiant warriors for the terrorism fight. I confess that I once shared that opinion. Boy, was I wrong.

During the summer, when Rep. John Murtha was hyping the story of alleged Marine atrocities in Haditha, Iraq, to sell his “bring ’em home” campaign, I discovered some of the hometown bravery ignored by our local press.

A librarian in the school where my daughter teaches has a son who at 19 was head of his platoon in Iraq. While we’re supposed to believe the insurgents’ and Murtha’s versions of murderous Marines, the public never hears of the many incidents where our men and women rescue civilian Iraqis trapped by the cowardly jihadists who hide among them. This Staten Island teenager led his team into a basement filled with women and children, all malnourished. One child was close to death.

The Marines shared all their rations with the Iraqis, hooked up the child to an IV, and gave him the necessary medical care. The Marines then showed the civilians how to make soup with these provisions to sustain them until further help could arrive. This is typical of what our military is doing all over Iraq, Mr. Murtha. They are the best of the best.

The same young Marine commander miraculously sustained only a concussion when his jeep hit a roadside bomb. On another occasion, while subduing a highly sought-after jihadist, he received minor injuries from a boobytrapped stairway and after recovering went straight back to his platoon. Our military is fighting a dirty, street-by-street war with an out-of-uniform enemy that welcomes death. Like all military mothers, his mother waits anxiously for his return. When he does arrive home safely, I’m hoping she will allow me to share his identity.

Another Staten Islander, Shane Strassberg, was deployed in areas of Iraq where our military is rebuilding and providing essential services. He is finally home after two tours, and he is currently stationed in California. His mother, Gale Strassberg, is still doing what all Americans should be doing — giving aid and comfort to our troops.

She is the chairwoman of the Staten Island Project Homefront. This nonprofit, nonpartisan group supplies military personnel with personal supplies, food, and items that they’ve written requesting. Every six weeks, volunteers gather in a church basement to put together hundreds of packages that are then sent off to Iraq and Afghanistan. This organization saved many lives by purchasing and distributing 371 bliss kit inserts for Kelvar helmets, used to prevent severe concussion damage. Attention, Mr. President and Congress: These inserts should be standard issue. Our military certainly deserves more protection than any pork barrel project from our bloated budget.

Our family has decided to make this Christmas season one of giving rather than receiving, and the most deserving right now are the men and women stationed far from home, performing unbelievable works of mercy — contrary to what is being reported by the mainstream news organizations.

So, let’s all pretend it’s the 1940s and we are a united nation doing all we can to support the troops in harm’s way far from home. Let’s gather in the schools, churches, and synagogues and collect the goods and supplies our troops need. Contact Ms. Strassberg at 718-981-9254 for more information on what kind of goods to provide; to arrange for pick-up of packages, or for where to send donations.

New Yorkers should feel great pride in our valiant warriors, even though their meritorious works of mercy are not being broadcast. However you feel about the war on terror, our military needs to feel that they are still respected at home.

God bless them.