With Veterans Day right around the corner, it’s time to think about ways to celebrate our military service members and their families throughout Flemington and Somerset County. Each year, our friendly staff at Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services commemorates this holiday with meaningful gestures of appreciation.

Here are some of our favorite meaningful ways to honor a veteran:

Attend a special event in your area.

On Veterans Day, communities across the nation celebrate the holiday with a parade and a variety of other special events. Visit the New Jersey Veterans Network to check out a list of upcoming events throughout the state.

Celebrate 100 years of the poppy.

On November 11, 1921, millions of Brits decorated their clothing with red silk poppies for the first time to honor World War I soldiers. This European tradition is a simple way to pay homage to veterans and remind yourself of their remarkable sacrifices. Consider buying a decorative poppy made of felt or popping a poppy-shaped metal lapel pin into your blazer collar. If you neglect to hunt down an artificial poppy this Veterans Day, try incorporating the color red into your holiday outfit.

Adorn a veteran’s grave with flowers.

Place a special memorial bouquet on the grave of a veteran. If you’ve lost a loved one who was a veteran, take extra care to surround their headstone or cremation niche with small flags. If you have no personal link to a veteran, there are two national cemeteries in the state of New Jersey, and many veterans and soldiers are buried in state cemeteries. Decorating a veteran’s grave is a lovely way to honor their personal sacrifice for our country.

Make a donation to a veterans charity or veterans service organization.

A donation to a veterans charity or service organization is an impactful way to observe this fall holiday. The USO (United Service Organization) sends care packages and other types of aid to active-duty service members around the world. The Wounded Warriors Family Support provides a number of resources for families of veterans killed or wounded during combat. Feel free to seek out local veteran organizations in and around Hunterdon County.

This year our team at Wright & Ford wishes all our veterans and their families a Happy Veterans Day! We are here for you should you ever need to contact us.