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22 May, 2003 |
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2003/n05222003_200305226.html |
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Every Memorial Day, Americans across this great land of ours gather with family and friends to celebrate the memory and to honor the sacrifice of those who have died defending our freedom. And it is important that we do so, for only by remembering how great their sacrifice was, can we truly appreciate how dear a price has been paid for our freedom. This year, we remember not only the heroes of the past, those who battled the evils of their times - totalitarianism and communism - but the heroes of the present - your comrades - who fell fighting the latest form of tyranny, the tyranny of terrorism. In Afghanistan, and later in Iraq, these heroes died defending their families and ours, and protecting our homeland from murder and attack. They died to deny weapons of mass murder to the perpetrators and the protectors of terrorist activities. They died to help free the world from the grip of a vicious foe, so that our children and theirs can continue to live as we have always lived - in freedom. In doing so, they demonstrated, beyond any doubt, that America does have the ability to meet any threat to our security, the will to confront our enemies before they strike, and the resolve to hunt down, capture and bring to justice the purveyors of terrors, no matter how long it takes. For that, they will be remembered forever in the hearts and minds of their countrymen. As the Civil War poet, Theodore O'Hara, wrote in his famous work, "The Bivouac of the Dead," "Nor shall your glory be forgot while Fame her record keeps, or Honor points the hallowed spot where Valor proudly sleeps." In that spirit, I urge all Americans this Memorial Day to join together at 3:00 p.m. for a national Moment of Remembrance, in honor of those who have died to make our freedom possible. I urge them as well to remember in their thoughts and prayers, those prisoners of war and those missing in action from earlier wars, and all our military men and women on duty around the world today who sacrifice, along with their families, to protect our American way of life. I thank you for all you do for our nation and for the world. God bless you, and God bless America. Donald H. Rumsfeld |
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22 May, 2003 |
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2003/n05222003_200305221.html |
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WASHINGTON, May 22, 2003 - For 60 seconds at precisely 3 p.m. local time May 26, Americans around the world will engage in a moment of quiet remembrance and respect to those who have given their lives for the privilege of freedom. During that brief time, except for a bugler sounding "Taps," Americans of every nationality are being urged to take a moment to reflect on the blessings of this country and to show gratitude by giving back to the nation, according to Carmella LaSpada. She is executive director for the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. LaSpada said the "Moment," as it's called, is "really important to bring the country together. It is an act of national unity, and gives a sense of history, of citizenship and of the connectedness ... of coming together, which reminds us to reflect on the freedom that we have as Americans and of the debt that we owe those who died for that freedom. "It's a pure moment, in that we are not hyphenated Americans, that we are all one, of one identity. In remembrance of those who died, they died for all of us," she added. LaSpada said that those observing the Moment should simply stop what they are doing and pause for one minute of reflection. Another way to signify the remembrance is to turn on vehicle headlights when driving. If planning to visit a loved one's gravesite, do so at 3 p.m., and pause to reflect. She also encourages Americans to listen to the commission's Memorial Day anthem, "On This Day." The song, debuting this year, is written by Charles Strouse, award-winning composer whose credits include the musicals "Annie" and "Bye Bye Birdie." The tune, composed especially for the National Moment of Remembrance, can be found at official Web site http://www.remember.gov . LaSpada's work to promote the annual Memorial Day tribute began in 1996. She recalled asking a group of children on a tour of Washington what Memorial Day meant. The kids responded: "That's the day the pools open." "It was an innocent response from the children," she said. "But it made me realize that Memorial Day had lost some of its meaning, that we need to remind our children of the sacrifices made for their freedom." "I told the children that one of the reasons you are able go to the pool is because of the veterans who gave you the right to that freedom." LaSpada continued her efforts to bring added recognition to the day. Finally on Dec. 28, 2000, Congress passed a bill to formally establish the White House commission. The first official Moment of Remembrance was held the next year. Other observances the commission has worked to bring added meaning to include the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Veterans Day and Operation Grateful Nation, created to honor armed forces' families, especially those with deployed members. LaSpada says the Moment is not meant to replace traditional Memorial Day observances. "As you participate in the Moment, you are helping reclaim Memorial Day for the noble and sacred reason for which it was intended -- to honor those who died in service of our nation," she said. For more information on the Moment of Remembrance activities or the White House Commission on Remembrance, go to http://www.remember.gov .
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