Yes, it’s very important, for several reasons. Obviously, a veteran’s service should be acknowledged, but there are practical issues that are of immediate importance to you and your caring for a veteran. Honorably discharged veterans are entitled to benefits from the Veterans Administration including healthcare, funeral expenses, money for home aids, many discounts and free services, and possibly disability payments. Veterans may have injuries (physical or mental) that have not been suspected or acknowledged by civilian doctors and which may emerge as they grow older. Veterans are entitled to many state benefits, including reduction or exemption from property taxes, registration renewal fees, eligibility for state veteran nursing homes, etc. Many states have special medals, awards, and special recognition programs for veterans.
It is not uncommon for earlier generations to not mention or discuss their service – until recently, service was considered something you did, you were proud of, but you didn’t brag about. Bragging about service was considered in poor taste because millions of others had also served so you weren’t special. Many others died “over there” so how much of sacrifice did you really make. Some soldiers were sworn to secrecy about what they did (although if its more than 50 years later they are usually released from that obligation). Sometimes the things they saw or did were so horrible that they don’t want to remember or tell anyone.
That doesn’t mean that they won’t be happy for you to tell them that you are proud of them and grateful to them.
Ignore the nonsense you may have heard about the Veterans Administration. The VA is a political football that is tossed around by politicians for their own gain. If they want to look patriotic they talk about how great it is, if they want to look tough they criticize it. Meanwhile, the Doctors, Nurses, technicians, and staff at the VA work hard doing their jobs for more than 19 million veterans with an underfunded budget. Further, there is a certain generation of military members who make it their mission to say terrible things about the VA. I have been a VA patient for over twenty years, and a doctor at the VA at well, and my experience has been that the people who work there care about veterans, and do everything that they can for the well-being of veterans. Are there things that could be done better? Yes! Write your representatives in Congress to fund the VA, for example, so that their 30-year-old computer systems can be updated. Should certain injuries or illnesses be covered (like Burn Pit exposure Diseases) Yes! Again, write your Congressman.
OK, so if your mom or dad is a veteran, find out if they have ever been to the VA. If so, make an appointment to take them to see a Geriatrics specialist there.
If you are not sure, find their discharge papers—its a form called a DD-214—and with that in hand, contact the VA eligibility office (you will find the information on the internet).
I recommend that you download a copy of the Directory of Service Organizations (https://www.va.gov/vso/VSO-Directory.pdf <https://www.va.gov/vso/VSO-Directory.pdf>), pick one, and contact a Veteran Service Officer to assist you in helping your loved one to access all of the benefits they earned.