Forget the Pizza Deals; This Veterans Day, Veterans United Is Giving Back in Big Ways

November 6, 2025 at 10:05 AM EST -

• Rooted in real relationships: The "Big Veteran Give Back" is a result of the close, personal connections Veterans United Loan Officers build with customers.
• What Veterans want: A recent Veterans United survey found that 56% of Veterans feel that businesses should offer more meaningful acts of appreciation.
• Creating year-round impact: The "Big Veteran Give Back" is less of a campaign and more a way to highlight how the company cares for Veterans every day of the year.

Veterans Day has become known for free coffee, half-off tires, buy-one-get-one pizzas and even $50 off furnace installations. But this year, Veterans United Home Loans, the nation's largest VA lender, is skipping the coupons and delivering something that lasts: meaningful surprises for Veterans across the country.

Since September, Veterans United has been gifting everything from mortgage payments to seed money for Veteran-owned businesses, tailoring each surprise to fit the specific needs and aspirations of the Veterans they serve. It's all part of "The Big Veteran Give Back," which stems from the care each loan officer puts into their customer relationships that go far beyond the traditional loan process.

A recent Veterans United survey found that more than six in 10 Veterans and service members believe the day has become too commercialized, and more than half say deals and gimmicks from businesses don't feel authentic. The "Big Veteran Give Back" represents an ongoing commitment to honor and care for Veterans every day of the year.

Among those who have already received gifts:

• Navy Veteran Marquis C. – A Navy builder, Marquis is a professional archer, air-conditioning mechanic and widowed father. Veterans United helped Marquis achieve his and his late wife's dream of homeownership. Through "The Big Veteran Give Back," he is now receiving desired home improvements and funds to kick-start his Veteran-owned archery and apparel company.
• Army Veteran Bill H. – A commercial pilot, Bill received funds to refurbish his airplane, a long-held passion project that will allow him to spend more time with his family and to continue serving other Veterans. Bill has long given free flying lessons and experiences to Veterans, paying airplane rental fees from his own pocket.
• Army Veteran David D. – Growing up in foster care, David found family in a Vietnam Veteran who became his mentor and lifelong role model. After leaving the Army, David used his VA home loan benefit to buy his mentor's home, even selling a beloved truck to qualify for the mortgage. As part of "The Big Veteran Give Back," Veterans United surprised him with a Ford F-150, a gift that helped bring his story full circle.

Over the past three months, Veterans United has given personal, meaningful gifts to nearly two dozen Veterans.

"Every Veteran's story is different, but they all share a common thread of service and sacrifice," said Pam Swam, vice president of military relations at Veterans United Home Loans. "When you build real relationships with Veterans, you start to understand what gratitude should look like. 'The Big Veteran Give Back' is rooted in listening, in caring and in finding personal, meaningful ways to show that in a way that lasts."

To see Veteran stories and learn more about "The Big Veteran Give Back," visit https://www.veteransunited.com/care/