San Diego Health archives...

Ways we can show support for our service men and women

Veterans Day (Remembrance Day in Canada) aren't the only day we should be thinking about those service men and women who have served, or are currently serving, our country. Non-profit and government programs provide a myriad of volunteer and support opportunities for citizens who wish to convey their thanks and support.

Support for the wounded

• The Wounded Warrior Project
  (woundedwarriorproject.org) helps troops wounded in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their mission is to honor and empower these veterans through a variety of services that help them adjust to their new reality. You can help by giving, volunteering or fundraising. To offer support for Canadian troops, visit the Wounded Warriors website: woundedwarriors.ca.
• The Fisher House Foundation
  (fisherhouse.org) provides housing on the grounds of military and VA medical centers where families can stay while their wounded loved ones are receiving treatment. You can donate money, cars, your time - and even frequent flier miles as part of the "Hero Miles" program. Wounded troops may receive their treatment far from home, which creates a financial burden for the families and friends who wish to visit. Hero Miles provides round-trip airfare for them.

Support for those currently deployed

• Provide financial support and services
  Operation Homefront (operationhomefront.net) provides direct services to help ease the financial issues deployed service personnel and their families may encounter. They also provide counseling and recovery support for returning troops. You can donate money, goods (gift cards, household items, etc.) and specific services such as legal support, air conditioning and heating repair, auto repair and accounting services.
• Write letters
  Send letters of thanks to those currently in harm's way through A Million Thanks (amillionthanks.org). You can also donate funds to help offset postage and processing costs.
• Send books to troops
  Provide reading material for our deployed service people through Books for Soldiers (booksforsoldiers.com) and Operation Paperback (operationpaperback. org). These can include children's books that troops read to their children via the web or on DVD.
• Foster a military pet
  Provide a foster home for pets of deployed troops through the Military Pets Foster Project (netpets.org).

To find out more about how you can honor and support veterans, visit the US. Department of Veterans Affairs website: volunteer.va.gov. In Canada, visit the Veterans Affairs Canada website: veterans.gc.ca.

To all veterans past and present, we salute you, we honor you, we thank you.

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