What to Write to a Veteran on Veterans Day

Veterans Day is November 11. It honors everyone who has served in the U.S. armed forces, which makes it different from Memorial Day, the day the country remembers those who died in service. So a Veterans Day letter is usually written to someone you can still talk to: a parent, a grandparent, a neighbor, a coworker, a friend.

The good news is that you don't need a speech. A few honest sentences, in your own words, are what people keep.

Start with the person, not the holiday

"Happy Veterans Day" is fine as a first line, but the letter lands when the next line is about them. Name something specific: a story they told you, a habit you noticed, the way they talk about the people they served with.

• "Dad, I've been thinking about the stories you tell about your first duty station, and I realized I've never said thank you for any of it."
• "Grandpa, I still have the photo of you in uniform on my desk. I look at it more than you'd guess."

Say thank you plainly

You don't need to explain what their service meant to the nation. Tell them what it means to you.

• "Thank you for your service, and thank you for the way you've always shown up for this family."
• "I'm proud of you. I don't say that enough."

Ask, if they like to talk about it

Some veterans enjoy sharing memories and some don't. If you know they do, a question invites a reply:

• "Next time I visit, will you tell me about the guys in your unit?"

If you're not sure, skip the questions and keep it warm and short.

What to leave out

• Assumptions about combat or trauma. Many veterans never deployed, and those who did may not want it in a card.
• Politics.
• Over-the-top praise that doesn't sound like you. Sincere beats grand.

A short example

> Dear Uncle Ray,

>

> Happy Veterans Day. I was telling my kids about your years in the Navy this week, and they wanted to know if you really learned to cook for two hundred people. I said I'd ask.

>

> Thank you for your service, and for always being the one who calls on birthdays. We love you.

>

> Jenna

Send it so it arrives on time

Mail takes a few days, so write early in the week. If you're late, a letter that arrives on the 13th still says the same thing. Nobody has ever been upset that a thank-you came two days after the holiday.