Veterans Day 2021: How to appropriately wish veterans today

This year, Veterans Day may look different again, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, knowing the right thing to say to a veteran always remains the same. Veterans Day, a federal holiday in the United States, is observed to honour military veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

On November 11, veterans across the US and the globe will be celebrated in a holiday that marks the end of World War I.

“What one veteran may find complimentary, another may find offensive or condescending,” USA Today quoted John Raughter, deputy director of media relations for American Legion, as saying.

“There are 19 million veterans, with 19 million different opinions.”

Raughter, who is a US Marine Corps veteran, said that it is best to thank a veteran for their service.

“It is not a time for one to share their political opinions, or ask about how many kills or battles they have been in. It is important to remember that Veterans Day is for all veterans, not just for those in combat, the US Marine Corps veteran said.

He maintained that one should not make a veteran feel otherwise if they were never deployed in their military duties.

Another US Army veteran, Shawn Brown said that people should be cautious of how they interact with a veteran and stop acting like they know what a veteran went through.

“It gets under people’s skin, especially if the veteran actually got down in the trenches and lost brothers and sisters in conflict,” Brown said.

“Just be normal and ask them about their greatest accomplishments, both personal and professional, if they choose to share.”

Akilah McNair, a US Army veteran, told USA TODAY: “I’ve heard people say they don’t support the military because they don’t support war, but I haven’t had many bad experiences with that,” she said.

Veterans Day is different from Memorial Day. Raughter believes that one has more freedom to find the appropriate things to say.

“I think that the one thing that does rub most veterans absolutely the wrong way on Memorial Day is saying ‘Happy Memorial Day’,” he said. “It’s not happy.”