With Veteran’s Day this week, we want to share how to honor a vet and let them know that we appreciate their service and sacrifice to our great country. We have five ways to honor Veterans.
First, we should distinguish the difference between Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. Memorial Day honors all military dead. Armed Forces Day honors all who are currently serving in the military. Veteran’s Day honors all living who served in the military. You can see why Veteran’ Day is a cherished holiday for so many.
1. Fly a flag
Veterans Day is a popular holiday to fly the American flag. Have you looked at your flag today? Is it faded or tattered? If so, consider replacing the flag with a fresh, new one. Do you have questions on how to properly display the flag? Check out the Flag Code or reach out to our team, we can help you! Did you or your family serve in the military? We offer all military branch flags to display along with the US flag.
2. Write a letter or post card
It is heartbreaking to know that so many deployed soldiers do not recieve correspondence with family and friends. Consider writing a letter to an active service member thanking them for their service. The small amount of time could mean so much to our active military personennel.
Here are a couple organizations that help facilitate the delivery of letters written to active soldiers.
3. Donate to a charity that serves veterans
When considering where to donate time, money, and other resources, consider a charity that serve veterans. There are so many organizations out there that help vets that are wounded, families of veterans, deployed veterans, and veterans that are transitioning to civilian life.
Here is a sampling of charities that support vets:
Wounded Warrior Project | https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Homes for our Troops |https://www.hfotusa.org
MVP | https://vetsandplayers.org/
Commit Foundation | https://www.commitfoundation.org/
Operation Gratitude | https://www.operationgratitude.com/
Operation Homefont | https://operationhomefront.org/
Stars for Our Troops | http://www.starsforourtroops.org/Index.html
4. Show up to Veteran’s Day events
This one really hits home. We are all busy. We all have jam-packed weekends, but a huge way to honor a veteran is to show up to Veterans Day events. Make your way to a parade, sign up for a run, check out what is happening in your area to honor vets and show up.
https://www.denverveteransday.com/ & https://www.denverveteransday.com/run/
https://www.military.com/veterans-day/events.html
5. Visit with a veteran
Is your parent, grandparent, neighbor, or friend a vet? Talk to them. Ask questions like how long did you serve, what did you do in the military, what was the decision process to join the military branch you did? What was your favorite moment in your time in the service? Now listen. You do not need to interject, but listen and hear what they have to share. Be sensitive about probing too much, maybe speaking about their service is too painful or uncomfortable, you want to be supportive without being intrusive.
There are so many ways to honor vets any day of the year consider using Veterans Day to jump start your commitment to honor vets throughout the year. Remember that without the sacrifice of our military, some of our freedoms would be compromised.
