Military Appreciation Months

May and November
Two U.S. military planes fly over an aircraft carrier in the ocean.

Join the Smithsonian in May for Military Appreciation Month. Then, in November, we honor veterans and their families during National Veterans and Military Families Month.

Resources

General Westmoreland seen walking and saluting a group of Vietnam troops.
National Museum of American History

The Price of Freedom Online Exhibition

Examine how wars have shaped the nation’s history and transformed American society in this online exhibition.
Hometowns Honor Their Returning Veterans stamp, 1995
National Postal Museum

Stamps and the Military

Explore commemorative stamps featuring military themes and military-related postal stories.
Three air force planes fly next to one another with blue sky in background.
National Air and Space Museum

War and Conflict

Explore stories about military aviation and the dedicated men and women protecting our national security.
Photograph of four American soldiers in Vietnam showing the black power symbol.
National Museum of African American History and Culture

Double Victory: The African American Military Experience

Read about the military service of African Americans from the American Revolution to the War on Terror.
A corporal distributes mail from her tiny post office in Afghanistan
National Postal Museum

Mail Call: History of America's Military Mail

Learn how the military postal system works and why mail is so important to military members and families.
Two soldiers bent over in a white, wood, red striped Kitchen. Martha Rosler, Red Strip Kitchen.
Smithsonian American Art Museum

How the Vietnam War Changed American Art

Explore the online resources that accompanied this 2019 exhibition Artists Respond: American Art and the Vietnam War, 1965 – 1975.