“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”
― John F. Kennedy
This Memorial Day Military Outreach for Services would like to thank all the men and women of the armed forces. Today we pay tribute to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives. Lost, but never forgotten.
MOS members know that many people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day for honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. Veterans Day is a day to honor veterans in our community. Since the Civil War, when this type of commemoration began, over one million men and women have given their lives in the service of our country, and to protect our freedoms.
In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress and placed on the last Monday in May. To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.
As grateful citizens of a nation that has been at war since 2001, many MOS members will visit cemeteries and memorials, or may volunteer to place American flags on gravesites at national cemeteries this Memorial Day. Others will observe the national moment of remembrance that takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time on this federal holiday for all our country’s men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. At the same time, a number of organizations throughout the country also observe the Moment: all Major League Baseball games halt, Amtrak train whistles sound across the country, and hundreds of other nationwide participants remind Americans to pause for the Memorial Day National Moment of Remembrance.
This Memorial Day, we want to ensure all the families who have lost a loved one in service to our country that the sacrifices of America’s fallen heroes are not forgotten. Take a moment this weekend to visit a local military cemetery, or participate in a Memorial Day event. If you’re in the DC area; visit Arlington National Cemetery.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs: History of Memorial Day
