A veteran's memorial song must hold two things: the service, and the person under the service. The dress uniform is real. So is the man who wore it. The songs that honor veterans best are the ones that don't reduce them to flag-and-eagle imagery; they let the human come through alongside the duty.
What this kind of song holds
These songs hold what he did and what he saw. They hold the years after, the work, the family he built when he came home. They hold the silence around the parts he never talked about. We write with reverence for the service AND the man.
What to put in the intake
Give us his branch, his years, his rank if you want it named. Give us his hometown, his work after service, his hobby. Give us the one story his family will tell at the gathering. We use that mix to honor him as both serviceman and specific person.