Thank you for your service: Putting Words into Action

GoBeyondInfographic - FinalThe most common gestures toward veterans and service members this time of the year is a ‘Thank you for your service’ at the coffee shop or grocery store, or maybe flying a flag to show your support. But has the phrase ‘Thank you for your service’ become so common that it has begun to feel empty? CVN was interested to dive deeper into honoring veterans and ask veterans themselves how they feel about the phrase ‘Thank You For Your Service’, or what can civilians do and say to honor all who have served. How do veterans appreciate being thanked and honored during this special time of year?

The CVN Veterans Day Survey 2019 reported that about 58% of U.S. military veterans and current service members would prefer someone donate or volunteer to a veteran related organization to show their appreciation for their service in the U.S. military. To dive deeper, we also interviewed our veteran CVN team members, and their responses echoed the survey. They expressed the best way to honor veterans and service members is to get out in the local community, dedicate your time, or just simply talk to a veteran to show support. How can we work as a community and also make veterans feel supported and honored?

Here are 10 examples of national veteran service organizations to volunteer at or donate to:

  1. Team Rubicon https://teamrubiconusa.org/
  2. American Red Cross https://www.redcross.org/get-help/military-families/services-for-veterans.html
  3. Blue Star Families https://bluestarfam.org/
  4. Team Red White and Blue https://www.teamrwb.org/
  5. Elizabeth Dole Foundation https://www.elizabethdolefoundation.org/
  6. Student Veterans of America https://studentveterans.org/
  7. America’s Warrior Partnership https://americaswarriorpartnership.org/
  8. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/
  9. The Mission Continues https://missioncontinues.org/
  10. Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)  https://www.taps.org