For those of us who live in the U.S., the patriotic season begins in late May with Memorial Day and stretches out to November, when we honor those who served in the armed forces on Veterans Day. There are also other holidays in between, including Flag Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day. Those would be considered the primary patriotic holidays but there are also plenty of others. The first, Armed Forces Day, actually falls before Memorial Day. Then we have Citizenship Day and Patriot Day in September, followed by United Nations Day in October.

Many people in the U.S. take the major patriotic holidays seriously, in addition to some of the minor ones. This is probably partially due to the fact that so many people have war veterans in their families, or at least know people who served. For people with connections to armed forces personnel, these particular holidays are personal. That is probably the reason why many people use free printable vintage Veterans Day postcards or veterans clip art to send greetings to veterans for Veterans Day. The simple act of sending cards to retired military officers or soldiers can mean the world to people who may feel they've been left behind.

This especially applies to soldiers returning from Iraq. They have experienced some true horrors and deserved to be thanked for doing that on our behalf. People don't make a big deal over Veterans Day like they do with Independence Day, so it would be easy for veterans to think we don't care. In many cases, no one was waving American flags as they returned home. And you usually don't see that kind of hoopla for Veterans Day either. That may be because some people are uncomfortable with even thinking about war and strife.

It would probably be better to just extend our thanks to a veteran every time we see one. That way they'll know they're appreciated all year-round, not just once a year on Veterans Day. That small remembrance by even one person can mean a lot to someone who may feel forgotten.