by Lenna Gonya

Created on: November 17, 2009   Last Updated: November 18, 2009

If you are lucky, your community will probably have a Veteran's Day parade, complete with bands, floats, and maybe a community picnic. When Veteran's Day, or Armistice Day, as it was first called, became an annual event, this was a very important day. It was not only a day when veterans were honored, but a day to remember how proud we were to be Americans and celebrate this event with family and friends. It is still special to stand on the sidewalk and watch the bands, and the veterans, young and old, follow our flag down Main Street.

Many towns have memorial ceremonies. It's a small price to pay to attend one of these services, if for nothing more than to say thanks to those who have served. There are usually band concerts, somewhere at this same time, honor guards, 21 gun salutes and the playing of Taps. Community parks often host guest speakers and recognition of local veterans.

Another way to celebrate Veteran's Day is certainly to honor your own family and friends who might be veterans. This is especially important for the kids. Give them a sense of history and pride in their country by taking them to visit a vet, maybe look through their memorabilia and photos. Explain to them where their family served and when. Give them some patriotic crafts to do and let them help with your own family flag raising ceremony.

Almost every community has a statue, a memorial site, or museum. And, a lot of these are free. Take the family on a historic tour of places in your area and learn the history behind a battlefield, a statue, or historic spot. It's amazing how many places you have in your own backyard that you really don't know about. Find out who the heroes were where you live, and what they did.

Organize a neighborhood cookout get-together, if weather permits, or inside if it doesn't. Decorate with some patriotic items and have a pot luck dinner for the veterans in your community.

There are a lot of free activities in your own area if you look for them. Check your newspaper or local TV channel. Get involved in the celebrations that the VFW and other veteran's groups organize. Visit and take a tour of a military base or National Guard facility.

If you are a veteran, share your experience and your patriotism with your family and your community.

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