The Memorial Day weekend represents a time for vacationing, going to the beach, stoking up the barbeque, attending and watching sporting events and for yours truly, a blogging staycation. Monday, May 28, marks the unofficial start of summer. It also marks something else – the opportunity to remember with thankfulness and honor those airman, sailors, and soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice allowing us the freedoms and rights we enjoy today.
In addition, to celebrating with your family and friends in your traditional ways, please consider volunteering or donating as part of this year’s Memorial Day celebration.
Here are some ways you can give back:
The Department of Veteran Affairs
- Check your local Department of Veteran Affairs and find a VA medical center, cemetery or community center near you. To get involved click on the Department of Veteran Affairs link.
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
- The WWP’s motto is “the greatest casualty is being forgotten.” The WWP aids seriously wounded veterans through mental, physical and community-based programs, connecting both caregivers and wounded vets to each other as a means of therapy. Get involved by clicking here.
Make a Tribute Video
- One of the missions of HuffPost Impact is to honor military families. HuffPost wants to know what Memorial Day means to you. Upload a picture of your family or add to their video tribute and see what others are saying. Click here to make a video or upload a picture.
Memorial Day Charity Runs
- With the sunny and warm weather of summer nearly upon us, check see if there is a local Memorial Day charity run. Run in honor of a fallen loved one, or find a run with a cause close to your heart. Click here to find a run near you.
The National Memorial Day Parade
- Will you be in the D.C area? If you’re in the area, volunteer with the National Memorial Day Parade. This year’s parade will be honoring the veterans of the Iraq War specifically as a tribute to the war’s formal end in December. Click here to learn more.
Homes for Our Troops
- Homes for Our Troops honors seriously wounded veterans returning to civilian life by building them a home. Get involved here.
The Center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as “The Wall” went up in 1982, to honor the soldiers who lost their lives. Since then, more tributes were added to the site, and now the organization behind it is fundraising for an education center to tell the stories, honor the victims and preserve the history of the Vietnam War. Find out what you can do here.
As you watch the following video remember, “All gave some, some gave all.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK0T4pVHP28&feature=related
