The Importance of Remembering Soldiers on Veterans Day

September 06, 2009

For those who live in the U.S., the patriotic season begins in late May with Memorial Day and continues until November, when we honor our recent and past war veterans on Veterans Day. There are also other holidays in between, such as Flag Day in June, the Fourth of July and Labor Day in September. Those are the major patriotic holidays but there are also others that are lesser-known. The first, Armed Forces Day, actually falls before Memorial Day. Then we have Citizenship Day and Patriot Day in September, followed by United Nations Day right before Halloween in October.

Most people in the U.S. take the major patriotic holidays seriously, as well as some of the minor ones. This is at least partially because so many people have war veterans in their families, or at least have some relationship to people who have served in the U.S. armed forces. For them, there’s a very personal connection to these holidays. That is probably the reason why many people use Veterans Day antique postcards or veteran clip art to send greetings that pay homage to veterans for Veterans Day. The simple act of sending a card can make a world of difference to a veteran who might think his or her contribution to our national well-being has been forgotten.

This especially applies to soldiers returning from Iraq. They have experienced some true horrors and deserved to be thanked for doing that on our behalf. People don’t make a fuss over Veterans Day like they do with the Fourth of July, so you wouldn’t blame veterans for thinking their countrymen don’t care. In many cases, no one was waving the American flag when they returned. And you usually don’t see that kind of hoopla for Veterans Day either. That could be because the holiday brings up sadness and bad memories for some.

It would probably be better to just thank a veteran every time we meet one. That will let them know we appreciate their contributions on more than just one day a year. Just that small act can make a big difference to someone who may feel forgotten.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.