It happens twice a year with predictable precision. In May, flags appear along streets and in cemeteries, fluttering in the late spring breeze. In November, parades form, speeches echo, and “Thank you for your service” returns to the national script.

Memorial Day and Veterans Day give us a ritual–a way to say thank you, to remember. But for millions of veterans, service did not follow a holiday schedule. Their sacrifice did not pause between commemorations.

The question is simple: should our gratitude be limited to two dates on a calendar?

Memorial Day and Veterans Day have weight. They matter and always will. They are opportunities to honor the fallen and recognize the living. But those days are rare. In a nation where less than 1% of the population wears the uniform, it’s easy for the other 99% to file veterans into the calendar–remembered on command, then quietly forgotten.

Yet service doesn’t start and stop with the bugle’s note or a folded flag. For veterans, the transition from deployment to “regular” life is neither smooth nor swift. Challenges linger long after the ceremonies fade. Some wounds are visible, many are not.

The challenge isn’t remembering–it’s acting. Flags, parades, and moments of silence have meaning, but true honor comes from the choices we make throughout the year. It’s found in how we welcome veterans into our workplaces, how we listen to their stories, how we support their families, and how we meet their needs–not with pity but with respect and real solutions.

The need is everywhere. Consider the veteran struggling with injuries, visible or not, who faces a medical system that can feel as impenetrable as a battlefield. Or the young man or woman who returns home with skills but finds few doors open. Or the families who manage months–or years–without a parent, a spouse, a child.

When Memorial Day fades, and the flags are stored away, what do we do then?

Honoring veterans year-round means taking real steps, not waiting for the calendar’s reminder. It means:

* Supporting organizations that provide food, shelter, and health care to veterans and their families.

* Hiring veterans and recognizing the unique skills and discipline they bring to civilian jobs.

* Advocating for legislation that improves health care, mental health access, and housing for those who served.

* Teaching children what service means, not only through textbooks but through example and engagement.

* Reaching out to the veterans in our lives, not with platitudes, but with the simple question: “How can I help?”

In Mifflin County and across central Pennsylvania, veterans are neighbors, coworkers, parents, and friends. They are not symbols–they are people who answered when the country called. Our respect should be as constant as their courage.

It’s easy to let gratitude become a ritual–something to be performed at the right moment and then set aside. But every day, somewhere nearby, a veteran faces an obstacle that gratitude alone cannot fix. The answer isn’t grand gestures. It’s steady, ongoing attention–a willingness to ask hard questions and keep finding better answers.

As a community, we can do more. Volunteer at the local VA. Support events that connect veterans with jobs and resources. Check-in on those who served, especially when the crowds disperse and the silence returns.

The truth is that honoring veterans isn’t an event. It’s a responsibility. It’s a promise to carry forward the values they defended–to ensure our commitment matches their sacrifice. The flags will wave again next Memorial Day, and the speeches will return in November. But our respect must not vanish with the sound of the last marching band.