10 Ways to Observe Memorial Day

1. Make a sign and place it in your front yard.

This is a great way to show your support for lost veterans and veteran families.

2. Send a card, letter, phone call or text to a family that has lost a service member.

3. Sponsor a meal for a veteran and their family or a fallen heroes family.

You can give a gift card to a local restaurant or have food delivered to their home.

4. Donate to charities that help Miitary and their families.

The USO and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) provide financial and emotional support to bereaved spouses and children of troops who have died serving their country. www.uso.org

5. Fly the American Flag using proper mourning etiquette.

Half-staff until noon. Memorial Day is a national day of mourning. Great way to show the USA some respect and pride!

6. Wear blue and run or walk with your household and register your walk with:

Wear Blue: Run to Remember - www.wearblueruntoremember.org/memorial-day

7. Post a tribute to a fallen hero on social media.

Share a heartfelt post on social media for our veterans and fallen soldiers. Use the hashtag #wearegrateful and your post could be shared with troops worldwide.

8. Decorate the sidewalk with chalk honoring our fallen heroes.

Draw messages of hope in red, white and blue.

9. Visit a cemetary.

Make sure to visit less crowded places and if you visit a national cemetary, make sure to check online for the current guidelines in your area.

10. Wear or display a red poppy.

Make a poppy flower out of paper or fabric and wear it to honor our fallen heroes. Why a poppy? In war-torn battlefields, the red poppy was one of the first plants to grow. Poppies are worn in honor of America's war dead.