This Veterans Day, here's an idea for showing appreciation for the men and women who have served past and present:

If you meet a veteran or if you have veterans in your family, talk to them about their experiences. Actually engage them about that time. We can more deeply honor them by listening and truly understanding their sacrifices for this country.

And building connections can help bind us and remind us of our shared humanity. This country could use some of that right now. These personal stories — whether from decades ago or today — should matter to us all.

Duncanville teen Andy Fancher gets that. He's the 18-year-old who's recording the testimonies of veterans, mostly from World War II, to ensure their histories are preserved. In his free time, he's interviewed more than 50 so far for his YouTube documentary series and received well-deserved national attention.

Wise beyond his years, Fancher is keenly aware that time is running out to hear directly from these veterans. He's grown close to some of these aging heroes; some have died since he interviewed them.

"I'm preserving their stories," he says. "In 10 years, we may not have these guys to tell their stories anymore."

It's part of a broader effort across the country to make sure the opportunities to honor their sacrifices are not lost.

Since 2000, the Veterans History Project has collected and made available personal accounts of American war veterans. The oral history project depends on individuals and organizations throughout the nation to contribute stories.

And then there's NPR's heartwarming StoryCorps series, whose mission for the last 14 years has been to encourage the value of listening and sharing to "create a more just and compassionate world." People have shared emotional stories about veterans' love, friendship and strength.

So do yourself a favor and strike up a meaningful conversation with a veteran or two this Veterans Day. They deserve it, and so do you.

Three great questions to start the conversation

1. What drove you to enlist?

2. What are your strongest memories from your time in the military?

3. During your service, can you recall times when you were afraid?

Source: NPR's StoryCorps project

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