A National Moment

Katherine Watson: Do you have a minute? It only takes one minute. Can you take a minute for someone else? It may be someone you don't know, but it's someone who gave up everything in service to this nation.

Jason Holmes:  The wonderful Memorial Day holiday weekend is coming, and there's a very important moment on that Monday, at 3:00 pm, whenever 3:00 pm falls in your local time. 

Moonjava:  To ensure the sacrifices of our nation's fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December, 2000 The National Moment of Remembrance Act was signed into law.

Jason:  It encourages all Americans to stop for just a minute at 3:00 pm local time for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.

Katherine:  Carmella LaSpada started Moment of Remembrance. She said, "It's a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day."

Moonjava:  Yes, just before Memorial Day in 1996, Carmella LaSpada was in Lafayette Park and asked a group of schoolchildren on a whim, what Memorial Day meant. They cheered, "That's the day when the swimming pool opens!" Carmella thought, if only people would pause for a moment -- just one minute -- to reflect on the heroes who died and the price they paid. That would be a small, good, healing thing.

Katherine:  LaSpada began lobbying and it resulted in Congress passing a resolution and the President issued a proclamation urging Americans to set aside that one minute at 3 p.m. for the National Moment of Remembrance.

Jason:  Carmella had founded No Greater Love (NGL), in 1971, is a non-profit, patriotic, humanitarian organization that is dedicated to bring hope, peace and love to the world. No Greater Love started with a promise by Carmella LaSpada to a dying medic in Vietnam – a promise to do something good to honor all the fallen and their families and ensure that they will never be forgotten. Check the link to learn all this organization provides.

Katherine: Jason is a Veteran of the Afghanistan War. After his duty in the Army he attended the Police Academy training before coming to Bayside as a K-9 officer with his dog Hobbs. Jason worked with a trained dog in the Army too. That dog's name was Robby and he was trained to sniff out roadside bombs and save lives.

Jason:  Those dogs are amazing service animals. They're over 98% accurate in their detection skills. Hobbs is a German Shepherd police dog. Robby was a Labrador Army dog.

Katherine:  The men and women and service animals who have given their lives in service to the nation will be in my thoughts 3:00 pm Monday. And for more information about the women who have died, including those who disguised themselves as men in order to serve in the Civil War, click on They Gave Their LIves

Moonjava:  And remember to wear a red poppy too. Learn more on The USAA site about the red poppies, and also there you can see the sobering numbers of valuable lives we've lost in the wars fought.