Jasmine Flanagan, Senior
Memorial Day is a national holiday celebrated throughout the United States that has been dedicated to honor and remember those who have served for the military. Memorial Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Monday of May, often with parades and barbecues. However, are elaborate parades or hot dogs and hamburgers really the best way for us to honor our nation’s greatest heroes? This year, try out some of these ideas to show your respect for those who have served.
Write a Letter
Although this often a Veteran’s Day tradition, there is no reason we cannot write a nice, appreciative message to those who served and currently serve for our country on Memorial Day. If you know someone who would appreciate a thankful letter, write one and either send or give it to them. If you do not personally know someone, there have been several websites created to enable anyone to write messages to soldiers all around the country. If interested, visit operationgratitude.org or amillionthanks.org.
Make Poppy Flower Crafts
The poppy flower has long been considered an emblem of Memorial Day, due to the flower being known as the “flower of remembrance.” The little flower can have a powerful meaning to show your support this Memorial Day. Some crafts below can be a simple yet meaningful decoration for those who like to get creative on Memorial Day.
Visit a Veterans Cemetery
See if there is a local cemetery for our nation’s heroes and take a visit. Make the time to pay your respects by leaving flowers or flags. Not to mention, this can be done on any day, not just for Memorial Day.
Send a Care Package
For those who want to support our troops on Memorial Day, there are several websites where you can make donations to the military members. With Operation Gratitude, you can contribute as an individual, with a group, or business and host donation drives or send items on the provided wishlist.
Participate in the National Moment of Remembrance
To avoid Memorial Day just becoming a day about parades and an excuse to throw a barbecue, Congress created the National Moment of Remembrance in 2000. To show respect to our soldiers, take a minute of silence at 3:00 P.M. this Memorial Day.
Raising Your Flag
When raising the flag on Memorial Day, the flag should traditionally remain half staff until about noon. When noon hits, the flag can then be raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset.
Donate to a Charity
Besides donating care package supplies, you can also make donations through charities that work to support our troops. There are plenty of these kinds of charities out there, but just some are Home for Our Troops, the Wounded Warrior Project, Hope for the Warriors, and the Fisher House Foundation.
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