The last Monday of May is Memorial Day; this year it falls on the 30th (which happens to be the date it was originally celebrated on before Congress elected to change it to the last Monday). Memorial Day, not to be confused with Veteran's Day, is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving, while Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. Though this day tends to be commemorated with family barbecues and parades across the country, there are a few traditions celebrating this day that deserve more consideration than a hot dog.
On Memorial Day, the flag is raised and then lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.
In 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, asking people to stop and remember at 3:00 P.M. This time was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the holiday. It is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died in service to the United States. 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.
