Memorial Day means so much more than a day off work.
This is just not another long weekend. Memorial Day is not just about recognizing the unofficial start of summer when we fire up the barbecue grill, reconnect with friends and family, and start to work on your tan again. Full stop: There is nothing wrong with that.
But how many Americans truly devote more than a passing thought to why we have Memorial Day in the first place? Our guess is not as many as they should.
Related: How Ronald Reagan healed scars from Vietnam on Memorial Day in 1984
It doesn’t have to be that way. As a general rule, we can (and should) do more to honor the ultimate sacrifices that United States military service members paid so that we can eat hamburgers and hot dogs on this day of remembrance.
Here are five ways we can show our appreciation for everything that Memorial Day represents.
1. Visit a Military Cemetery.
Through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Cemetery Administration oversees cemeteries in nearly every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Want to find one close to you? Here’s how.
Walk around, read the headstones, and try not to be humbled. Whether you bring a token of remembrance or not isn’t the point. The point is to just be alone with your thoughts and pay your respects. Take as long as you need. When you return to your car, the experience will stick with you long after you drive away.
2. Go to a Memorial Day Parade.
Everybody loves a parade, even our four-legged friends. Are we right?
If you have been to one before, go again. If you haven’t, carve out time to go. Interact with those around you. If you are a military veteran, chances are really good that you will be surrounded by others who served our country. If you aren’t, it’s a chance to thank a veteran for helping secure the freedom that we enjoy. It’s also a great opportunity to make sure those who died fighting for America are never forgotten.
And if you can’t go, livestreaming is always an option. Take the Freedom 250 National Memorial Day Parade. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, and the route will go down Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. You can be anywhere, however, and still see it, thanks to the magic of YouTube.
3. Walk Around a Military Museum.
We’ll grant you that some museums can be real borefests. Military museums don’t belong in that category. They aren’t filled with pieces of artwork that a regular person can’t appreciate. They’re repositories of living history.
Military museums are a great way to spend an afternoon. There are no shot clocks. You can take as much time as you’d like to learn more about the exhibits. It’s equal parts educational and awe-inspiring, and they’ll make you feel connected—if only for a short while—with some real-life heroes.
A quick side note: The Wall That Heals Tour, sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, is making its way across the United States. It will be in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Memorial Day, but plans to visit 15 other states through the end of 2026. See whether it is coming to a city near you.
4. Donate to a Military-Themed Charity.
Countless numbers of organizations, both local and national, do great work in service of the military community. But be careful. For every Wounded Warrior Project, Bob Woodruff Foundation, and Fisher House Foundation out there, there are some military charities that might not have the greatest reputation.
So please do your homework before giving away your hard-earned money. You can verify a charity’s bona fides through such sites as Charity Navigator, CharityWatch, and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.
And if you’d prefer to volunteer rather than donate, that’s fantastic. There is no shortage of nonprofits that serve military service members and veterans who could use more helping hands. They’re only a Google search away.
5. Watch Military-Themed Programming.
News flash: Those in television don’t like to work holidays, either. That’s why they tend to air a bunch of taped programs. Memorial Day is no exception.
For example, the History Channel is rebroadcasting the 10 hourlong episodes of “World War II in HD,” followed by the “World Wars,” on Sunday, May 24, 2026. On Memorial Day, it will follow with the first three episodes of the epic, 20-hour documentary series “World War II with Tom Hanks.” Meanwhile, AMC is scheduled to show all 10 episodes of “Band of Brothers” on Memorial Day. (Check local listings for details.)
Finally, no matter what streaming services you have, there is no shortage of military movies/documentaries out there.
So, by all means, enjoy the holiday. You deserve the break. The fallen also deserve to be remembered, if only for a minute, and those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. After all, we wouldn’t be here today without them.
