LVMAC Tidbit — On 27 May Give Time for a Moment of Remembrance

Memorial Day should be more than a picnic holiday and a sales day.  It is intended to be a day when we remember those who fought and died for us and our way of life, and to rededicate ourselves to good purposes to ensure their sacrifice was not wasted.  In an effort to remind our citizenry, adults and youth, of what it sometimes required of us to be Americans, a National Moment of Remembrance was added to the day in 2000.

When to do it:  Along with other Americans, you are asked to spend a moment of remembrance on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. local time, for one minute’s time. The time 3:00 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace the traditional Memorial Day observances. It is intended to be a unifying act of remembrance for Americans of all ages.

Where to do it:   You may pause for the Moment wherever you happen to be, whether alone or with others.

How to do it: Participation is voluntary and informal. You may observe in your own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever you are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps. If you are driving a vehicle, you may turn on your headlights.

You may, however, organize the observance more formally at such places as your neighborhood, local pool, picnic grounds, etc., for one minute of remembrance. You may ring a bell to signify the beginning and the end of the Moment or may tune into a local radio station that is observing the Moment with the playing of “Taps.”

How it started:  An interesting tidbit of background on how this event came to be: In May 1996, the idea of the Moment was born when children touring Washington, D.C., were asked what Memorial Day meant. They responded, “that’s the day the pools open!”  Therefore, the Moment has the additional purpose of making Memorial Day relevant to younger Americans. On Dec. 28, 2000, by P.L. 106-579, the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance was established to institute the idea.

###

As of 22 May 2013