The easiest way to #honor those who served this Veterans Day is to #clean out and #declutter a drawer, #closet, room or #storage space; find still-useful clothing and household items that you no longer need or want; and #donate them to ClothingDonations.org. A driver will arrive at your home on the scheduled day and whisk away that extra #junk, leaving you with a tax-deductible receipt and all the extra #space you rediscovered. It won’t take long to gather several bags or boxes for #pickup, so you can still make the Veterans Day #parade, memorial or banquet after you purge. #VeteransDay
Author: Jordank
Editorial Coordinator
Observe Veterans Day With a Good Movie
Want to honor the nation’s #veterans with a little entertainment and education? Have a veteran-themed movie night. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences suggests 10 iconic films that depict the #military experience that are widely available through streaming services, including The Grand Illusion, The Best Years of Our Lives, Platoon, The Thin Red Line and Born on the Fourth of July. Forbes adds Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now and Patton to the list, noting that “supporting veterans can take many shapes, including charitable #donations, hiring veterans at your business and supporting sober foreign policy.” #VeteransDay
Vets Get Special Discounts on Veterans Day
Lots of restaurants, retailers and resorts will be offering discounts to #veterans and active-duty military personnel this year on and around Veterans Day, according to Military.com. If you have served, you can take advantage of a free entrée at Olive Garden, Red Lobster or Outback Steak House, or get a free cup of coffee at Biggby, Peet’s or Casey’s. Amazon, Publix and Target are offering 10% off to veterans on all purchases, or you can get a free car wash. Simply show your military ID or VA benefits photo ID card to prove your status. Don’t yet have a VA card? Visit VA.gov to get one. #VeteransDay
Election Day in America
It’s #Election Day in the U.S.A.! If you haven’t already #voted, it’s time to make your voice heard. While The Organizing Blog and Vietnam Veterans of America don’t endorse specific candidates, we encourage readers to keep former and current military service members’ best interests at heart when #voting. Do a little research to find out which of the candidates asking for your vote have the best records and positions on veterans benefits, VA funding, foreign policy and the kitchen-table issues important to veterans. Then, proceed to the polls and exercise your right as a citizen to cast your #ballot in a free and fair election. #VeteransVote
Veterans and the Vote
#Veterans are familiar with the struggle for #freedom and #democracy, having fought to protect the nation’s ideals at home and overseas. Once released from active duty, one of their most basic and important civic duties is to exercise the right to #vote.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 16 million veterans in the United States today. Numbers are expected to decline in the near future, as the nation’s smaller #military engages in fewer and more limited conflicts. About 6% of the population has had military service as of 2022.
In the presidential election, both parties have veterans on the ticket for the first time in 20 years. Prior service doesn’t predict policy, so fellow veterans are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the candidates’ records on veterans issues before voting.
It’s a significant voting bloc that’s motivated by a range of issues. Veterans respond to “kitchen-table issues such as healthcare, education and the economy,” says The Hill, “but they are also concerned with, and directly affected by, national security and foreign policy matters.”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs encourages veterans to vote and can point veterans and active-duty service members to voter registration resources, even those overseas. “VA is working to ensure all veterans can enjoy the rights that they earned and fought for,” VA says.
Vet the Vote is a national campaign to recruit veterans and military family members to become poll workers who can support safe, secure elections in a divisive political climate. In volunteering, veterans “show that it’s still possible for Americans to work together in patriotic service.”
If you would like to vote in honor of a veteran, many states have programs that allow registered voters name a veteran to ceremonially dedicate their vote — for whomever — to a specific veteran. File a form naming your honoree, and you’ll get a certificate, bumper sticker or lapel pin.
While its nonprofit status prohibits endorsement of specific candidates, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) continues to advocate on behalf of veterans, and encourages every veteran from every era to exercise their right to vote by Nov. 5. #Vote!