We don't, in Jefferson's words they are "endowed by the Creator".
We owe them to the Constitution.
Wrong Oh, the Constitution, mainly the Bill of Rights, merely protect those liberties/rights.
We have civilian rule in the United States
Indeed we do, but that doesn't change the fact that it's the military that has preserved our rights, at least from would be foreign infringers of them. For that we do owe them.
We the People have had to manage against domestic infringements, and we haven't done nearly as good a job as the military has.
Gato, thank you for saying what I would have liked to have been able say, if my blood pressure had been about 50 pts lower.