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9 Thoughtful Ways to Thank a Veteran on Veterans Day

Nov 09, 2020

by Kathy A. Megyeri

My husband served 30 years in the regular Army as an MP and in the Reserves with the DC National Guard where he was called to active duty 22 times in 1968 following the riots. He still remembers a law professor coming to the war protestors’ containment area demanding to, “Let my people go.” My husband counts his military service as an integral part of his life, so we yearly visit the Vietnam Wall, the World War II Memorial in DC, and the Carlisle Barracks in PA where his name is listed among the graduates of the U.S. Army War College. Thus, we know firsthand how important it is to make Veterans’ Day a year-long celebration of gratitude to all who have served. And he’d still be driving the same Jeep he used in 1968 or the 1953 Dodge M37 on display at Carlisle if only his fellow soldiers in uniform would be riding beside him as well.

After witnessing numerous attempts to honor Veterans on Memorial Day, I wish to suggest some of the more successful efforts that I have seen that have impacted the Veterans the most and that have certainly left lasting impressions:


  1. Participate in welcoming home an Honor Flight. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Veterans with honor and closure. Its mission is to transport Veterans to Washington, DC to visit the memorials which are dedicated to them. Priority is given to WWII survivors and those terminally ill. The waiting list is currently at 38,054 and last year, 21,089 were flown to DC. In Florida, Veterans are flown from Ft. Myers, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, and Palm Beach. By contacting Honor Flight Hubs, a schedule of arrivals and departures can be obtained. As Will Rogers said, “We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they walk by.” And I, for one, have been very proud to stand at Washington’s National Airport as they arrive, often in wheelchairs and on walkers and canes, but always carrying a small flag and wearing a grin.
  2. Have you seen a Vet in line at your local McDonald’s or pumping gas at the local gas station? Go to the cashier and buy a drink, meal or pay for a fill-up anonymously since some are uncomfortable with any public display of gratitude, but I promise you, it will be greatly appreciated following a look of surprise.
  3. Hire a Vet or spouse and support businesses that do. Visit MilitaryFriendly.com to see a current list of military friendly employers and if you work in any kind of management position, consider first hiring a Vet or spouse. Start with the PsychArmor Institute, a nonprofit organization that provides classes or free webinars on how to find, hire, train and retrain veterans and military spouses. Join their 1-5-15 Campaign to raise awareness about creating meaningful and engaging course content that helps these service men and their families and supports them in their transitioning to civilian life. The cornerstone course addressing the “15 Things Veterans Want You to Know” included “5 Questions You should Always Ask Veterans, 1 Question You Should Never Ask a Vet, and the 15 Facts that promote Greater Understanding of our Veterans” was particularly valuable. I even learned that there are other branches of active duty services that qualify for Veteran status like the US Public Health Services and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
  4. More than 3 million who have served their country own their own businesses. Visit NaVOBA.com and support these businesses.
  5. Donate your frequent flier miles. The Fisher House Foundation’s Hero Miles Program helps family members be close to the bedsides of injured loved ones. It also builds comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay free of charge while a loved one is in the hospital. These homes are located at military and VA medical centers around the world but families need to get to them.
  6. Donate your time and expertise. If you are a lawyer or CPA, donate your skills through your bar association or tax service as Veterans need help with VA compensation claims, upgrading their discharges, criminal defense cases, landlord-tenant issues, bankruptcy, tax issues, etc. All skills are appreciated from electricians to plumbers to home builders and computer tutors.
  7. Earmark your donations. If you give money to your college or local charity, ask that the money go specifically to scholarships set aside for Vets and support programs for them. Nonprofit organizations such as Four Block provide critical services to student veterans as they prepare for internships and then for jobs in the private sector.
  8. Volunteer to visit Vets in hospitals and nursing homes and support caregiving families by offering respite care to family members or offer to drive Vets to appointments. Part of my dad’s estate at his insistence was to earmark funds for a new van that the local American Legion was buying to carry wounded and disabled Vets on outings or to doctors’ appointments and even take Vets and their families to Veteran sponsored activities.
  9. This Veterans Day, visit a nearby nursing home with perhaps a small floral bouquet or box of chocolates where the home’s director would gladly refer you to a Veteran without regular visitors. Sit for a short introductory chat, ask him or her to share a memory, reflect on their branch of service and introduce yourself as a caring citizen who wants to sincerely thank them for their service.


Any attempt to recognize and honor a Veteran will be most appreciated and best of all, it will make you feel better, certainly more grateful, and especially more patriotic. Then Veterans Day will take on new meaning and just might become a day we value more than once a year. Such actions might underscore the oft-repeated line, “Thank you for your service.”



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My husband served 30 years in the regular Army as an MP and in the Reserves with the DC National Guard where he was called to active duty 22 times in 1968 following the riots. He still remembers a law professor coming to the war protestors’ containment area demanding to, “Let my people go.” My husband counts his military service as an integral part of his life, so we yearly visit the Vietnam Wall, the World War II Memorial in DC, and the Carlisle Barracks in PA where his name is listed among the graduates of the U.S. Army War College. Thus, we know firsthand how important it is to make Veterans’ Day a year-long celebration of gratitude to all who have served. And he’d still be driving the same Jeep he used in 1968 or the 1953 Dodge M37 on display at Carlisle if only his fellow soldiers in uniform would be riding beside him as well.
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