Letters, donations, events, visits: 9 ways to honor those who served for Veterans Day
It was 105 years ago this Saturday, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, fighting in World War I, "the war to end all wars," ended.
President Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 to be Armistice Day the next year, to be "filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory." It was changed in 1954 to Veterans Day to honor the sacrifice and patriotism of all veterans of U.S. wars and active-duty military personnel.
On this day, veteran events will be held both locally and in the nation's capital to support veterans everywhere. But it's also important to honor the military personnel in your own life — if you yourself are active duty or a veteran, thank you! — and here are some ways to do it, in increasing order of effort.
1. Fly the United States flag
Show your support for the country veterans have fought and died for by flying the flag proudly. Be sure to follow the proper rules for U.S. flags, according to the U.S. Department of Defense:
Never display the flag during bad weather and do not display it at night, unless there is a light on it
Never allow a U.S. flag to touch anything below it such as the ground, water or merchandise
Do not display the U.S. flag above any other flag, and if it is displayed with other flags keep it in the center
Do not place anything on the flag such as letters, insignia or designs
Never display a tattered or torn flag, they should be disposed of in a respectful way, preferably by burning
Never use the flag as clothing, bedding or drapery
2. Write a letter to thank veterans and active-service personnel
Emails, texts and social media posts thanking veterans are great, but if you can, taking the time to send a thoughtful thank-you to someone in your family or neighborhood can be a special gift.
If you don't have someone in mind, you can send general thanks to your local military base or use one of several services that collect letters to send directly to active, reserve, and veteran military such as AnySoldier.com, ForgottenSoldiersOutreach.com, MillionThanks.org, OperationGratitude.com, Sandboxx.us, and SoldiersAngels.org, Here are some tips to get started.
Not big on letter writing? Record a video and send that.
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3. Visit your relatives or neighbors who served
If you know someone who has served, and nearly all of us probably do, Veterans Day is a good time to ask them about their service, according to Military.com. Their time in the military may be much on their mind Saturday and they may appreciate talking about it, but don't press. Military.com suggests a few questions to get started:
What did you do in the military?
How long did you serve?
What was your favorite moment in all your time in the service?
Did anyone else in your family serve?
Why did you go into the service branch you did?
Don't ask if they've killed anyone and it's not the time to argue the moralities of armed combat. Just listen, if they want to talk.
4. Donate to veterans charities
You can support all military personnel by giving generously to nonprofit organizations centered on helping veterans in need. Just a few of the best, as ranked by Charity Navigator, include:
The Gary Sinese Foundation: Helps American heroes and their families with entertainment, support, and acts of appreciation that include building homes for severely wounded veterans, providing meals and hosting daylong celebrations at military medical centers.
Semper Fi & America's Fund: Provides direct financial assistance for combat-wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured service members and their families.
Special Operations Warrior Foundation: This Tampa-based org provides financial assistance for education of the children of military special operations personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty and provides immediate financial assistance to severely wounded, ill and injured special ops personnel and their families.
K9s for Warriors: Based in Ponte Vedra, provides highly-trained service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma.
There are a lot of worthy veterans charities doing good work, and you can find more highly rated organizations at Charity Navigator.
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5. Go to Veterans Day events
Saying "thank you for your service" is appreciated, and please keep doing that. But there's nothing like a big crowd of people cheering to let a veteran know their service to the country means something to their community. Most cities will be holding parades or services, go to one and make your voice heard.
Some of the larger Veterans Day events in Florida include:
Tallahassee Veterans Day Parade: The capital city is holding its Veterans Day parade a day early, on Friday, to avoid conflict with football games on Saturday. But the annual parade will get a military flyover for the first time in the parade's over-100-year history. Tallahassee has a large number of Veterans Day events from Thursday through Saturday.
Orlando Veterans Day Parade: After the 11 a.m. opening ceremony on Orange Ave. with Mayor Buddy Dyer and local veterans, the parade will proceed to Central Blvd., Rosalind Ave. and Robinson St., followed by the Veterans Day Celebration with music, food and fun from 1 to 3 p.m. at Lake Eola Park.
Tampa Veterans Day Parade: Tampa not only has one of the largest Veterans Day parades, the city is following up with a Heroes & Headliners concert featuring Chris Stapleton, H.E.R. and Imagine Dragons with Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek serving as emcees. The show is sold out, but it will be at Walmart.com/Live and on Facebook, X (Twitter) and YouTube.
6. Take a veteran out to eat
Aside from being a wonderful thing to do, many businesses and restaurants offer free items, food or services for veterans on Veterans Day and some of them may not be able to take advantage of them on their own. Many national chains and local restaurants are welcoming veterans with free appetizers, desserts, and even complete meals with a show of ID.
Or if you'd rather stay home and eat, Publix is offering 10% off on groceries for all veterans and active military personnel on Nov. 11.
Vets eat free: Veterans Day freebies and discounts at Florida restaurants, theme parks: Here's a big list
7. Visit or volunteer at a VA hospital or nursing home
If you don't have a relative or friend to talk to, there are plenty of veterans who would appreciate some company. Check with your local VA hospital or nursing home to find out their policies for visiting patients or volunteering. Some of them may have special events for Veterans Day. Chatting with elderly or injured veterans, especially if they don't have regular visitors, can be incredibly cheering and you might hear some great stories. And if visitation isn't available, you can help out behind the scenes.
"Even if you never interact with a veteran," MIlitary.com says, "helping at a facility is a way to give back and saying 'thank you veterans.'"
8. Take a veteran to the park
Got a friend, relative or neighbor who served and likes to hike, fish or just get outdoors? All 425 sites in the National Park System have free entry for Veterans Day, the last free admission day of 2023. In Florida, that means:
Big Cypress National Preserve, 33000 Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee
Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Sir Lancelot Jones Way, Homestead
Canaveral National Park, two entrance stations located at Apollo Beach via New Smyrna and Playalinda Beach via Titusville
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, 11 South Castillo Drive, Saint Augustine
De Soto National Memorial, 8300 De Soto Memorial Hwy, Bradenton
Dry Tortugas National Park, 40001 SR-9336 Homestead
Everglades National Park, a million and a half acres across Miami-Dade, Monroe and Collier counties. There are entrances in three cities.
Fort Caroline National Memorial, 12713 Fort Caroline Road, Jacksonville
Fort Matanzas National Monument, 8635 A1A South, Saint Augustine
Gulf Islands National Seashore, has 13 unique areas across two states, here's how to find them with operating hours and diorections
Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, 12713 Fort Caroline Road, Jacksonville
The National Park System also offers a free lifetime Military Pass for Gold Star Families and U.S. military veterans. A free annual Military Pass is available for current US military members and their dependents. The passes provide free access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks, wildlife refuges, and forests.
If your chosen vet isn't an outdoorsy person, Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Legoland all offer discounts, and Legoland is offering free tickets for military and first responders till the end of November.
Take a vet to the park: America's national parks are free to visit on Veterans Day and many are tied to the military
To be clear, aside from the discounts all of these things can be done any day of the year. But Veterans Day is a day when we make a point of honoring the people keeping our country safe our veterans, and it's a good time to do something special for one of our heroes.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Veterans Day 2023 in Florida: How to honor veterans, military members
