thesurvivalplaceblog

This article by our friend Andrew J. Jackson at Prepography.com

For the first sixteen years of my military career there was little need for a primer on Veterans Day etiquette as there was little recognition of the day from the U.S. populous other than a few restaurants that thanked our Nation’s Veterans with a free meal and a Federal holiday.  All that changed in September 2001… since that time there’s been a renewed gratefulness from the U.S. population towards its current and former military service members.  That gratitude has played out in many ways and one of those ways is by a renewed interest in Veterans Day.

This year Veterans Day falls on Sunday with the ‘observed’ Federal holiday falling on Monday the 12th of November.  Before we explain Veterans Day etiquette, let’s look at the history of Veterans Day

History of Veterans Day

Unlike Memorial Day which honors our war dead, Veterans Day is a day set aside to honor our living veterans.  The timing of Veterans Day grew out of Armistice Day from World War I.  Although the peace treaty wasn’t signed until June 28th 1919 the armistice went into effect the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (1918).  This armistice was the end of the over-optimistically named ‘war to end all wars.’  President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the  first “Veterans Day Proclamation”  in 1954 at the urging of Congress to officially expand the observance of Armistice Day into Veterans Day.  You can read more about the history of Veterans Day at History of Veterans Day – Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

Veterans Day Etiquette

Here’s one old soldier’s guide to Veteran’s Day etiquette based primarily on my family’s traditions, as well as my own feelings and experiences.

1. Fly the colors.  This is a day for honoring service so the flag is NOT flown at half mast.

1. Acknowledge the service of veterans you encounter on veterans day.  A firm handshake, warm smile and “thank you for your service” is more than adequate.

1. Call veterans who are relatives and very close friends.  I usually throw a “happy Veterans Day” out, and inevitably get a “right back at you” in return.  This isn’t something you’d want to do except with those who you are very close with.

1. The last few years I’ve also begun receiving a lot of Veterans Day messages by e-mail.  E-mail sentiments are also welcome recognitions of a veterans service and sacrifice.

1. I once received a handmade card from a client for Veterans Day.  She was obviously a scrapbooker and had put the talents she’d developed to beautiful and artistic use.  She hand delivered the card to my offices.  The card sat on the bookshelf in my office for many years along with other cherished mementos.

1. Last but not least, if you see a veteran out at a restaurant or bar…buy him or her a round…you don’t even have to let him/her know it was you if you’re shy.

Veterans enjoy free meals, and a good deal like everyone else, but an expression of appreciation means so much more to most of us.  If you appreciate your freedom, consider expressing that appreciation to those that made it possible.

Final Note

I was sitting next to a friend earlier this week during a salute to veterans at a conference we were attending.  The musical tribute was a medley of the U.S. military service songs and the musical director asked the veterans in the audience to stand when their service’s song was played.  This friend, who had enlisted and served for six years in the National Guard during peacetime turned to me and asked me if he was a veteran.  Make no mistake folks, if you served honorably in the Active or Reserve U.S. military  forces (yes the National Guard is part of our Reserve Force) you are a veteran.  We honor service, not just wartime service.

This entry was posted on November 10, 2012 at 7:27 pm and is filed under News/ Current Events with tags current-events, politics, Veterans Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.