The United States is the land of the free because of the brave — brave military members who fight for us and protect us, at home and abroad. This Veterans Day, take a moment to honor their service.
Visit a Veteran’s Hospital
You can go to the Charlotte Health Care Center or travel to Salisbury to visit veterans at the W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center. If that’s not convenient, look for a local nursing home or assisted living facility. Talk to older veterans. Sit with them for awhile and listen to their stories. You’ll brighten their day and let them know their service hasn’t been forgotten.
Invite a Veteran to Speak at Your Child’s School
Talk to your child’s teacher about their Veterans Day curriculum and ask if you can invite a veteran to speak to the class. They can talk about why they decided to serve in the military and answer questions from the children. Elderly veterans and those who have served recently something valuable to share with all of us. We could all learn something from a veteran.
Support Veteran-Owned Businesses
Whenever possible, spend your money at businesses that support veterans and those businesses owned and operated by veterans. Ending their career in military service isn’t always an easy transition and many veterans still have a family to support. This is a tangible way to help both veterans and the community. For a list of veteran-owned businesses in Charlotte, click here.
Donate Frequent Flyer Miles
The Fisher House Network helps family members stay close to injured military members as they recover. When you donate your frequent flyer miles as part of their Hero Miles Program, you’re helping family members get to the bedside of those injured military members.
Sponsor a Companion Dog
Many veterans today suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and need a service dog to help them. Puppies Behind Bars is a program in prisons that allows prisoners to train dogs for veterans. When you sponsor a dog, you’ll get updates on its training. If you can’t make a big donation to sponsor a puppy, remember that every little bit helps.
Send a Care Package
Operation Gratitude oversees multiple projects to show veterans, military members, and their families our thanks for their service. You can take part in a letter-writing campaign to send a handwritten note to a veteran to thank them for their service. Or you can help send care packages of goodies and necessities.
Thank a Veteran
The simplest, easiest, and least difficult thing we can all do on Veterans Day and every day is thank veterans for their service. They choose to serve and defend our country, knowing it will take them away from their families and that they may not come back from duty.
At Charlotte Insurance, we are thankful and grateful for what the U.S. military does on our behalf each and every day. To all the veterans who have served, thank you. We would not be the land of the free without your brave service.