Late every May the patriotic season begins in the United States with Memorial Day and continues until November, when Veterans Day is celebrated. There are also other patriotic holidays during that period, such as Flag Day in June, the Fourth of July and Labor Day in September. Those would be considered the primary patriotic holidays but there are also some 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 in October.
Many Americans 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 immediate families, or at least have some relationship to people who served in the American armed forces. For them, these particular holidays are personal. This is probably why a tradition has begun to use Memorial Day antique postcards or Veterans Day clip art to send greetings to veterans for Veterans Day. The simple act of sending a card to a retired military officer or soldier can mean the world to someone who may feel his or her service to our country has been forgotten.
This is particularly important to U.S. soldiers coming home from serving in the Middle East. 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 July 4th, so it would be easy for veterans to think we don’t care. Chances are, no one ran around waving bunches of American flags as they returned home. And there are few parties thrown for Veterans Day either. That may be because some people are uncomfortable with even thinking about war.
It would probably be better to express our appreciation every time we run across a retired veteran. That will let them know we appreciate their contributions on more than just one day a year. That small remembrance can mean a lot to someone who has served their country but feels forgotten.