Veterans are people who did all that was asked of them to give the world or their respective communities freedom, safety, and security. Therefore, you should honor them by dedicating your skills, money, and time to their day to appreciate their sacrifices whether you know them personally or not. Money may be considered the only appreciation, but you can do other things for their families and beyond.
1- Donate to a Relevant Foundation
Different nonprofit organizations specialize in supporting and appreciating veterans. Therefore, you can donate items, money, or other resources to uphold their lives. However, you might never know how to contribute to appreciating the warriors’ efforts. These nonprofit foundations may be subdivided into ones dealing with disabilities, wounded, and the soldiers’ friends among others. Therefore, you will decide where to channel whatever donation you have to ensure you rebuild the veterans’ lives.
2- Show Up
At times, togetherness brings more healing than physical resources because some veterans may only be needing emotional support. Therefore, on Veterans Day, you can show up with a placard, carrying a message for the heroes who liberated the nation. You should not take a veterans event like a picnic because you abandon your duties to celebrate the veterans who dedicated their lives for your freedom and safety.
3- Flag Flying
Flag flying is a show of respect to the veterans for their courageous acts of upholding the nation’s sovereignty. The veterans’ event comes as a perfect opportunity to observe the exact flag flying rules and honor the warriors. Certain flag flying rules must be followed by soldiers, but the civilians must not conform to the promulgated regulations.
4- Write a Message
You can write a card to a veteran as an appreciation during the D-Day. You can also write a general post to the entire military recognizing their efforts to secure the territory. These acts may appear insignificant, but they are highly appreciated.
5- Focus on the Living Veterans
You should not confuse Veterans Day with a memorial function because the focus is on the serving or retired soldiers. The fallen soldiers are celebrated on different occasions. Therefore, confusing this two would diminish their importance. Therefore, your gifts and messaging should be aligned to recognize the living veterans.
6- Visit VA Hospitals
If the nearby VA hospital can allow you to visit veterans and spend some time with them, you can do it especially during Veterans Day. You can even organize a lunch session with them. However, you might not meet the veterans, but you can support the hospital to ensure a safe stay for them.
7- Get Outdoors with Veterans
You can request a veteran and his or her family to accompany you on an outdoor activity like swimming, fishing, or even a walk. A majority of these activities are discounted or free on Veterans Day. The outside environment upgrades their emotional, mental, and physical health. You also grab some of the life experiences they encountered when serious duty called. Therefore, you understand how much freedom costs and the lengths you need to go to maintain it.
There exist no limits to honoring veterans because you can do it through words, kindness acts, and even virtual efforts. Veterans appreciate anything you wholeheartedly give regardless of the size. At least they feel that their sacrifices were noted and recognized.
