Monday, November 11 is Veterans Day. It’s a national holiday. Parades and celebrations are held in every town, large and small, across our land to honor those who have served, and those who have fallen in service to our country.

But for many Americans, Veterans Day has come to mean a long weekend, big sales, no mail delivery or banking, and inconvenient traffic patterns caused by those who are attending those parades and celebrations.

Veterans Day began as “Armistice Day,” a federal holiday established in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson to honor the service people who died fighting in World War I. Shortly before the beginning of that conflict, Congress established some benefits for fighting men (no women in those days), but the Veterans Administration did not come into being until 1930. (There weren’t any weekend sales in those days, either.)

Since “the war to end all wars,” there have been countless other conflicts – World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the myriad unnamed involvements around the world which, whether formally declared, have resulted not only in millions of deaths but hundreds of thousands of service men and women who have returned with unanticipated physical and mental damages that have placed a tremendous burden on the system charged with their care.

That’s why the National Veterans Rights Association was founded – to fight for those who have fought for us. We don’t hand out blankets. We don’t have a costly infrastructure that diverts money away from our cause. Every penny donated to the NVRA is used to advocate for veterans, to make sure they get the recognition and care they have been promised, and which they so richly deserve.

So, on this day set aside to honor all veterans, we hope you’ll take a moment to do just that. Attend a ceremony. Watch a parade. Reflect on the sacrifices our brave soldiers have made on the battlefields around the world – and the challenges they face upon returning home.

Rather than merely thanking them for their service, consider volunteering at a local VA facility, a homeless shelter (where far too many of our veterans find themselves), or a suicide-prevention group (which an alarming number of our returning veterans need).

Above all, don’t just confine your thoughts and actions to one day a year. The need exists every day.