Thank a Veteran. Then Check on One.

Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11.

The flags will go up. Restaurants will run their free meals. Your feed will fill up with eagles and folded flags.

All of that is good. Keep it.

But I want to ask East Texas for one thing more this year.

Thank a veteran. Then check on one.

Why a Marine is asking

I served in the United States Marine Corps from 2010 to 2014. Corporal. Communications. Two years on Okinawa. I led Marines and signed for gear that mattered.

I did not deploy to combat. I will never pretend I did. I have too much respect for the men and women who did.

My dad is a big part of why I joined. I grew up seeing his Marine Corps things at my grandparents' house and hearing him talk about his service. He was always my superhero. That story lives on my parents' site.

The veterans I know will not ask

Most of us will not call you.

We will tell you we are fine. We will carry it quietly and keep working. Some of us are carrying more than you would ever guess.

So the call has to come from you.

Five ways to serve a veteran this week

1. Call one. Do not text.

Pick one veteran you know. Call this week. Ask how they are really doing, then wait for the real answer.

If you freeze up on what to say, I wrote a short guide on how to talk to a veteran about hard days.

2. Help with the paperwork.

A lot of veterans in East Texas leave earned benefits on the table because the forms wear them out. Every county has free help, and you can be the one who drives them there.

• Gregg County: the Veterans Service Office is at 100 East Methvin St., Suite 157, in Longview. The county lists Wednesdays as walk-in days and the other weekdays by appointment. Call 903-237-2674 or 903-237-2675. Gregg County Veterans Services
• Harrison County: the Veterans Service Office works out of the Harrison County Annex in Marshall, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, at 903-935-8415. A Texas Veterans Commission counselor works out of that office too. Harrison County Veterans Services
• Marion County and everywhere else: start with the Texas Veterans Commission, or call your county courthouse and ask for the veterans service officer.

Call before you drive over. Offices can close for the holiday itself.

That one matters. If a veteran you love gets an email asking for an electronic signature from somebody claiming to be the county office, slow down and call the office first.

3. Save the number before you need it.

The Veterans Crisis Line is free, confidential and open 24/7. Dial 988, then press 1. Text 838255. Or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net.

A veteran does not have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to reach them. Family and friends can reach out for help too.

Put it in your phone today. If you ever need it, you will not want to be searching for it.

4. Show up.

Schools, courthouses, and Legion and VFW posts across East Texas hold Veterans Day programs. Find the one closest to you and go.

Stand for the anthem. Shake a hand. Bring your kids so they see what honoring somebody looks like.

5. Buy from one. Hire one.

There are veteran-owned businesses all over Gregg, Harrison and Marion counties. Pick one this week. Spend your money there. If they earned it, leave them a five-star review and say why.

Veterans keep serving

Here is what I love about veterans. The serving does not stop.

When Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas in 2018, I drove 18 hours through the night to help a fellow Marine get people to safety. In four days, I helped rescue 25 people and 10 animals. KLTV ran the story.

I do not tell that to brag. I tell it because most veterans I know have a story like it, and they will never bring it up unless you ask.

So ask.

My ask this Veterans Day

• Thank a veteran.
• Call one.
• Save 988, then press 1.
• Help one with the paperwork.
• Buy from one.

Semper Fidelis means always faithful. It does not expire. Neither does what we owe the people who raised their hand.