Looking for ways for your family to celebrate Veterans Day on November 11?
Veterans Day is a federal holiday meant to honor America's military veterans. The date is significant because the Armistice with Germany went into effect in 1918 on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11 month, for all practical purposes putting an end to World War I. The day was known as Armistice Day until 1954 when U.S. veteran organizations successfully lobbied to have it changed to Veterans Day.
We have four ideas on how your family can honor veterans for Veterans Day, whether you have veterans in your family, or simply want to thank those in your community who have served.
And if you are a veteran?
THANK YOU for your service.
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1. Attend a Veterans Day parade, event, or monument
Many communities have a Veterans Day parade or other events to honor their veterans. Take your family! Your support, simply by your presence, means a lot.
Veterans Day Events
- November (virtual): Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Carry Forward® 5K ~ Your choice of date/location!
November 9 (9:30am to 2pm): 10th Annual Denver Veterans Day Festival ~ Denver- cancelled due to snowNovember 9 (10:30am): 10th Annual Denver Veterans Day Parade ~ Denver- cancelled due to snowNovember 9 (8:30am): Denver Veterans Day Run (in person) ~ Denver- cancelled due to snowNovember 9 (10am): Tour of the Civil War Veterans at Fairmount Cemetery ~ Denver- cancelled due to snowNovember 9 (10am): Tour of the Civil War Veterans at Riverside Cemetery ~ Denver- cancelled due to snow- November 9 (12pm) - Spaghetti Lunch | 1pm - Concert): An Armed Forces Salute by The Gold Eagle Concert Band ~ Parker
- November 10 (4pm): Rocky Mountain Brassworks Presents Honoring Our Veterans ~ Lakewood
- November 11 (11am): Veterans Day Ceremony ~ Littleton
PLEASE NOTE: Colorado weather is unpredictable this time of year. Please check the event website for updates before heading out.
Veterans Monuments
Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park
- bordered by 16th Avenue, 13th Avenue, Broadway, and Grant Street, Denver, Colorado
- 756 Telluride Street, Aurora, Colorado
- 4400 W. Kenyon Avenue, Denver, Colorado
Veterans Monument at Ken Caryl Ranch
- Southeast corner of Crestone Mountain and Sangre de Cristo Road, on the north end of Community Park, Littleton, Colorado
Littleton World War II Memorial
- Ketring Park | 6000 South Gallup Street, Littleton, Colorado
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2. Fly a flag
Put your American flag out on Veterans Day and fly it for all to see. This is a day of celebration, not mourning, so your flag should not be flown at half mast. To get your youngest ones involved, decorate for the day by putting small flags into the ground and line your sidewalk.
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3. Visit a VA Hospital or Veterans Home
If you have a Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital or veterans home near you, call ahead to see if visitors are allowed so you can stop by and say thank you in person in a safe way. If visitors are not permitted, ask how else you can share your thanks this year. What is a simple thank you to you, can mean the world to someone else.
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4. Write a thank you note
Sit down with your child to make a card or write a letter for a veteran you know. Getting a card in the mail brightens everyone's day. Don't know a veteran? Drop cards off at your local VA Hospital or veterans home if allowed, or team up with Operation Gratitude to write letters to those serving. Once registered, they will email you a letter-writing guide, printable coloring sheets for children, and instructions for shipping the letters to them for distribution.
