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It’s May, National Military Appreciation Month, a time of ceremony and remembrance culminating with our Memorial Day Weekend. “Members of the Armed Forces are forging a better future for our Nation and the world,” said President Obama in his Armed Forces Day proclamation earlier this month. “As they carry out their missions, military families endure the sacrifice of their absence. Worrying about their safety, moving to new duty stations, and managing a home without a loved one, these families shoulder great burdens as they help sustain our men and women in uniform. I thank military families for their vital contributions.”

“The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen who have answered the call to service deserve recognition and gratitude. They have endured the most difficult of conditions to protect America and her highest ideals,” President Obama added.

For All Americans, National Moment of Remembrance

The White House Commission on Remembrance announced highlights of activities that will unfold across the country at 3:00 p.m. local time on May 25 as Americans pause to remember the nation’s fallen heroes. President Obama, in his Memorial Day Proclamation, will call on Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance.

At 3pm, Major League Baseball games will stop, the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. will halt, Amtrak trains will blow their whistles, Buglers Across America will play "Taps," and the National Grocers Association and Food Marketing Institute will ask shoppers to pause in stores nationwide to remember our fallen. Join them and millions of others in observing the Moment at 3:00 p.m. EST on Memorial Day. Citizens are asked to pause, wherever they may be for the Moment, and reflect on the sacrifices made for our freedoms, and commit to Live Honoring America’s Fallen.

"We want our citizens to contemplate the ties that bind us and take a moment to put ’Memorial’ back into Memorial Day!" said Carmella LaSpada, the Commission’s Director, who has made remembrance a lifelong passion. As a White House Special Projects Aide during the Vietnam War, Ms. LaSpada organized a USO tour to Southeast Asia. Visiting a military hospital, she met a battle-injured medic who had seen men in his unit die before he himself was mortally wounded. The young man asked that she promise to do something so that his comrades and their grieving families would be remembered.

“Memorial Day still means something special to me,” said John Melia, founder of the Wounded Warrior Project, a Veterans Advantage partner, in a special communications to members and donors. “It means never forgetting those warriors who have given the ultimate sacrifice, as well as those who came home forever changed.”

Fleet Week

New York City’s Annual Fleet Week begins this week and runs throughout Memorial Day week until May 27. The Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, a strategic partner of Veterans Advantage, is co-hosting many of the week’s activities.

In partnership with New York City, the United States Navy and the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, over a dozen Navy and Coast Guard ships will visit New York Harbor during Fleet Week. In addition, there will be military ceremonies, parades, baseball game flyovers, re-enlistment ceremonies and many other exciting activities over the course of the seven-day celebration.

One highlight of the week’s activities is the Memorial Day ceremony held on the flight deck of the newly reopened and refurbished Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum.

WASHINGTON DC

The National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. will step off at 2 p.m. on May 25. The National Memorial Day Parade begins at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Streets, NW. It will proceed west down Constitution, past the White House, ending at 17th Street.

This will be the 6th annual parade since a Memorial Day parade in Washington was reborn after the nation’s capital went nearly 70 years without a Memorial Day parade. Pre-parade entertainment will begin at 1:30 pm at 7th and Constitution. This year’s parade will feature actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna as Honorary Marshals and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral ike Mullen as reviewing officer.

“Gratitude from an appreciative Nation – not just during this month, but always – inspires courage and peace of mind for those whose charge it is to keep the peace. Remembering those who sacrificed everything – as well as their families – and continuing to thank and support our veterans and wounded warriors is crucial to the health of our Armed Forces, and truly, essential to the health of our Nation,” said Mullen.

“Throughout this month of May, please take time to thank all those in each Service branch, the National Guard, and Reserves, as well as Defense civilians, retirees, veterans, and their families. They are making a difference – and so can you,” he added.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

May is the month with the majority of patriotic holidays -- most notably Loyalty Day (1st), VE Day May (8th), Military Spouse Appreciation Day (8th), Armed Forces Day (16th), and Memorial Day (25th). May was given its official distinction just over 10 years ago, when the Senate first passed a resolution in 1999 designating National Military Appreciation Month. That declaration summoned U.S. citizens to observe the month "in a symbol of unity, to honor the current and former members of the armed forces, including those who have died in the pursuit of freedom and peace."

Traditionally, May has focused on the military in many ways. For example, Public Service Recognition Week, celebrated the first full Monday through Sunday in May since 1985, recognizes the roles of public servants, including the military, at local, state, regional and federal levels. As a part of PSRW, communities across America showcase military equipment and service members from U.S. installations. The largest PSRW event takes place on Washington’s National Mall, where more than 100 federal agencies, including the military services, put their activities, people and equipment on public display. This year’s mall event was May 6-9.

Armed Forces Day, created in 1949, is an annual event held on the third Saturday in May, with activities at U.S. military bases around the world. This year’s celebration occurred May 15.

The month culminates with Memorial Day, a federal holiday on the last Monday in May. The day, dating from the Civil War era, traditionally has marked recognition of those who have died in service to the nation.