All branches of the military play a vital role in protecting your country from foreign threats, and our troops go through a lot to keep us safe. The challenges our service members face can often make them feel isolated or lonely, which is why it’s important we do our part to make them feel like they’re supported back at home. Below, we talk more about the importance of supporting our troops and highlight ways you can offer your support in your daily life.

Why It’s Important to Support Our Troops

Our service members put their lives on the line to protect our great country, and they need our support to continue to do their important work. Some of the key reasons to support our troops include:

●National security: Our troops are the first line of defense against foreign entities that might harm our country and its people. Supporting them also supports their commitment and goal of protecting our country.

●Morale boost: When our troops feel supported, it can significantly boost their morale, especially when things get tough. If you make service members feel like a part of the community, you can help curb feelings of isolation and loneliness that affect many troops.

●Community impact: Our troops are part of their local communities, which means they deserve the same support offered to other non-military members of the community. With the right support, our service members can contribute in positive ways to their communities.

●Personal sacrifice: Military members and their families make countless sacrifices by being part of our Armed Forces. You can honor their sacrifice by doing what you can to support our service members while they put their lives on the line.

●Overall well-being: Offering your support can help improve service members’ and veterans’ overall well-being, especially as they face the unique challenges that come with the military lifestyle.

Of course, you may have your own reasons for supporting our troops, such as personal history or pride in your country. Whatever the reason may be, our troops rely on support from their communities to thrive in their careers and to protect the United States from foreign threats.

8 Ways You Can Support Our Service Members

If you’re looking for ways you can support our service members as a civilian, we’ve compiled a list of some effective ways of supporting our troops.

1. Send Care Packages and Letters

Troops that are deployed overseas are dealing with a wide set of challenges, including having to be away from the comforts of home and their family. Even though they are thousands of miles away, you can make our service members feel supported by sending care packages and letters to let them know you’re thinking of them and supporting them from back in the States.

You can fill care packages with things that remind our troops of home, such as snacks, entertainment, and even essentials like toiletries. You can include your letter expressing your gratitude and support with your care package so it feels more personalized for the service member receiving it. If you don’t know where to start, organizations like Operation Gratitude can help you send care packages and letters to our troops overseas.

2. Volunteer Your Time With Non-Profit Organizations

Non-profit organizations do a lot of important work for our troops, and you can get directly involved with organizations that speak to you by volunteering your time. There are many organizations to choose from, ranging from mental health-oriented organizations to non-profits that assist with the transition from military to civilian life.

You can volunteer for large, well-known organizations or you can find local organizations that are close to home. Volunteering to help the homeless can also help veterans in your community who may have had a difficult time adjusting to life.

If you have a special skill that can help these organizations, you can even reach out and offer your services for free as a way to show your support for our troops. If you don’t have a lot of time, you can always donate or set up monthly contributions to help these non-profits while you’re busy with life.

3. Offer Support to Military Families

Military families go through a lot of challenges and make many sacrifices to support their service members. Many spouses and children have to spend a lot of time away from their service members, and the stress of military life can affect families. Moving frequently, being separated from family, trouble finding a support system, and plenty of other challenges can be hard on a family.

You can offer to help military families which in turn will support our troops. For example, you can offer to run errands or babysit so a service member and their spouse get a break and have time to focus on each other or do something else they’ve been wanting to do. The needs of specific families will vary based on their specific struggles, so don’t be afraid to ask what exactly a family needs and how you can help.

4. Display Flags

One of the simplest and easiest ways to show support for our troops is to display the American flag, whether on your home or in what you wear. The flag represents our country and showcases your patriotism, which is a clear-cut way to support our service members and the sacrifices they make for our country.

5. Shop From Military-Affiliated Businesses

There are many businesses that are operated by veterans or businesses that support our troops in different ways. You can show that you support our service members by doing your shopping or receiving services from these businesses. You can also find businesses that offer discounts or programs to service members, and spending your money with them allows them to continue these programs, meaning it’s a good way to support our troops in your day-to-day life.

6. Advocate for Service Members

There are always policies or changes that impact service members, whether it's on the local level or the federal level. If you want to support our troops, you can advocate for changes that directly benefit our service members and their families. For example, if there are policies going through Congress that would help our troops receive more support, you can write letters to your representatives advocating for these policies as your way to support our troops.

7. Attend Military Appreciation Events

More than likely, your local community has plenty of events that appreciate and support our troops. You can often find parades, concerts, dinners, and more events that were created to honor our troops. By attending, you’re showing your support for our service members and for causes that help them get what they need. Some of these events may even take volunteers, which is a way to go above and beyond with your support.

8. Be Willing to Talk

Many of our service members and veterans just want someone to talk to, especially since many of the challenges they face can make them feel isolated and lonely. Be willing to listen to them speak about different things, whether it’s the challenges of returning home after deployment, the transition from military service to civilian life, or something else. Simply asking “How are you doing” from time to time can make someone feel supported.

Keep in mind there are some things that you shouldn’t talk about with our troops. For example, you don’t want to:

●Ask to hear all the details about their combat experience.

●Discuss politics unprompted.

●Ask if the service member has killed or shot anyone.

You may have good intentions, but these conversation topics can be distressing for many service members and are best to avoid. Instead,

Military Luggage Company Extends Our Support to Our Troops

Military Luggage Company understands the struggles our troops face and we aim to play our part in supporting our troops in the ways that we can. We offer our warrior discount for service members and their families, which saves you 10% on your entire purchase. We also host a monthly podcast that advocates for service members and organizations that support them, which you can listen to here. We hope that you join us in supporting our troops by doing what you can in your community.