Holiday cards mailed to veterans 'lets them know they aren't forgotten' Isolation due to the pandemic has been particularly hard on military veterans; a ‘Make a Veteran Smile’ campaign aims to show vets they haven’t been forgotten. Author: John Hogan Updated: 6:24 PM EST December 16, 2020 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It has been a difficult year for Michigan veterans who are isolated from the outside world due COVID-19, but that isolation is especially difficult during the holidays. With visits curtailed, a card or letter mailed to Michigan’s two veteran homes will help vets know they are not forgotten, advocates say. “They just need to know that they’re wanted by somebody on God’s Earth,’’ says Mike Kloet, a U.S. Army veteran in Grand Rapids. “A lot of these guys who live at the home don’t have family anymore.’’