When it is and why it matters
Memorial Day falls on the last Monday of May — May 25 in 2026. It is a federal holiday established to honor U.S. military personnel who have died in service to the country. The observance traces its roots to the period after the Civil War, when communities in both the North and the South began holding ceremonies to decorate the graves of soldiers. In 1971, Congress formalized Memorial Day as a national holiday on the last Monday of May.
For many Americans, the long weekend means cookouts, travel, and the unofficial start of summer. For others — the families of service members killed in action, veterans who have lost comrades, and anyone carrying complicated grief — the holiday can feel like a collision between the world’s celebration and their own loss. That gap between what the holiday looks and feels like publicly and what it means privately is real, and it is worth naming.
Memorial Day is also one of the periods most associated with elevated mental health risk among veterans and bereaved military families. The combination of public remembrance, social events that may feel isolating, and the symbolic weight of the date can intensify grief and exacerbate symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Awareness of that risk — and of the support available — is part of what this day deserves.
What the research says
Military bereavement carries a distinct psychological profile. Research from the RAND Corporation and the Department of Veterans Affairs has consistently documented elevated rates of complicated grief, depression, and PTSD among surviving family members of service members who die in combat or by suicide. The grief of a military family is often layered with pride, anger, ambiguity, and a sense of duty — emotions that do not resolve on a timeline and do not fit neatly into civilian grief models.
Among veterans themselves, Memorial Day and other military observances can intensify moral injury — a concept that describes the lasting psychological wound that comes from participating in or witnessing events that violate one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Moral injury is not the same as PTSD, though it frequently co-occurs with it. It is a wound to a person’s sense of what is right and what they are responsible for, and it responds better to meaning-making and community than to exposure-based treatments alone.
The Veterans Crisis Line reports increased call volume around military observances including Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the anniversaries of major deployments. That data reflects what counselors already know: the calendar matters. Dates that carry symbolic weight can function as triggers — bringing grief, guilt, and loss closer to the surface than they feel on an ordinary Tuesday.
Peer support and community connection have documented benefits for this population. A 2020 review in Military Medicine found that peer support programs for veterans reduced isolation, improved help-seeking behavior, and provided a relational context for processing experiences that civilian friends and family often could not fully hold. Groups that include others who have experienced military loss or service-related trauma offer something that individual therapy alone cannot: the experience of being understood by someone who has been there.
Groups for grief and veterans in our directory
My Therapy Groups is building out its directory of support groups for veterans, bereaved military families, and those navigating service-related grief and trauma. If you run a group in any of these categories — online or in person — you can claim a free Founding Member listing at List Your Group.
While we grow the directory, the following search terms may surface relevant options:
- “Veterans” — groups for veterans and service members, including those focused on combat-related trauma and transition
- “Grief” — groups for bereavement and loss, including those serving bereaved families
- “Trauma” — groups for PTSD and trauma recovery, many of which are veteran-inclusive
- “Loss” — broader bereavement groups that may include military loss
Browse by location and format at mytherapygroups.com.
How to choose a group around Memorial Day
Choosing a support group during or after a holiday weekend takes some additional thought. Here is what to consider.
Timing matters. If you are in a tender moment right now, this weekend may not be the time to walk into a new group for the first time. Many people find it more useful to identify a group in the days after Memorial Day and plan for a first meeting the following week, when the acute weight of the holiday has settled slightly. That said, if a group is meeting this weekend and you feel ready, showing up is always a valid choice.
Condition-specific versus general. For veterans and military families, a group that includes others with similar experiences — combat loss, suicide loss in a military context, the particular grief of a Gold Star family — often provides something that a general bereavement group cannot. The shared context matters. If a veteran-specific or military family-specific group is not available in your area, a general grief group is still worth trying.
Online groups extend your options. Many veteran support organizations run online groups with national reach. If local options are limited, online attendance is not a lesser choice — for many people it is the right one, particularly if leaving the house on a difficult weekend feels like too much.
Crisis support is not the same as ongoing support. If you are in crisis this weekend — not just sad or heavy, but genuinely struggling — the Veterans Crisis Line (call or text 988, then press 1) and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline are the right first resource. Peer support groups are for the longer work that follows. Both are valid. They serve different moments.
You do not have to explain yourself. A good group will not require you to justify why Memorial Day is hard. If a group leader or fellow member makes you feel like your grief is unusual or excessive, that is information about the group — not about you.
Other resources
- Veterans Crisis Line — call or text 988, then press 1 — free, confidential, 24/7; staffed by responders trained specifically for veterans and their families
- TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) — taps.org — peer support, grief camps, and survivor programs for those who have lost a loved one in military service
- Give an Hour — giveanhour.org — connects veterans, service members, and their families with licensed mental health providers
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) — nami.org — peer support groups and resources for veterans and families navigating mental health conditions
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 — available to anyone in distress, 24 hours a day
FAQ
What is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a U.S. federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. It honors military personnel who died in service to the country. The holiday originated in the years following the Civil War and was formalized as a national holiday in 1971.
Why is Memorial Day emotionally difficult for some people?
For bereaved military families and many veterans, Memorial Day carries the weight of specific loss — people they knew, people they served with, or people they love. The public celebration of the holiday can feel disconnected from private grief, and the symbolic significance of the date can intensify depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. This experience is common and does not mean something is wrong with you.
Are there support groups specifically for bereaved military families?
Yes. Organizations like TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) offer peer support programs specifically for those who have lost a loved one in military service. My Therapy Groups is building out its directory of veteran and military grief groups — if you run one, you can list it for free.
What is moral injury and how does it relate to Memorial Day?
Moral injury refers to the lasting psychological wound that comes from participating in or witnessing events that violate one’s deeply held moral beliefs. It is common among veterans and can be intensified by dates like Memorial Day that bring military service and its costs into sharp focus. Moral injury responds well to meaning-making, peer support, and community — and less well to avoidance.
What if I am in crisis this weekend?
Call or text 988. If you are a veteran or calling on behalf of a veteran, press 1 after dialing to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. It is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day. You do not have to be suicidal to call. If what you are carrying right now feels like too much to hold alone, that is reason enough.
My Therapy Groups is a directory. Group leaders write their own listings, and we do not vet, supervise, or endorse the groups listed here. We are not a clinic and we do not provide clinical services or guarantee outcomes — that is the group’s work, not ours. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. Veterans can press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. We will be here when you are ready.
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