The POPVOX Blog

Articles Tagged Memorial-Day

1. Unique Memorial Day Flag Etiquette (Half staff until noon)

   by marci on May 24, 2013

   Memorial Day is the only day in which flags are flown at half-staff for only part of the day -- to both honor the sacrifices of those who gave their lives and to inspire those who continue in their stead. 

   

   Photo credit: www.flaginsider.com

   On Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly 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.

   The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. 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. Source: Wikipedia

   Hazel Lodevico-To'o has some more flag-flying tips for Memorial Day on the Glendora, CA Patch.

   
      

2. Issue Spotlight: Memorial Day

   by rachna on May 28, 2012

   This Memorial Day, we recognize the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. Since this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, POPVOX is spotlighting bills related to Memorial Day and Vietnam veterans in particular. And for those of you who are veterans, we sincerely thank you for your service.

   Issue Spotlight: Memorial Day

   • HR 5735 Establishes a Tomb of Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery for interment of cremated fragments of the remains of members of the Armed Forces killed in Afghanistan, Iraq, or a subsequent conflict when the fragments are unidentifiable by use of DNA testing.
   • HCR 45 Honoring the service and sacrifice of members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving in, or have served in, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn.
   • HR 1591 The Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans Act guarantees that military funerals are conducted with dignity and respect.
   • HR 1497 Directs the Secretary of Defense to take whatever steps may be necessary to exhume and transfer the remains of certain deceased members of the Armed Forces buried in Tripoli, Libya (and S 1822).
   • HR 3767 Grants the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Special Service Force, in recognition of its superior service during World War II.
   • HR 2051 The Veterans Missing in America Act directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assist in the identification of unclaimed and abandoned human remains to determine if any such remains are eligible for burial in a national cemetery.
   • HR 1980 The Gold Star Mothers National Monument Act authorizes the Gold Star Mothers National Monument Foundation to establish a national monument in the District of Columbia.
   • HR 1457 The William Shemin Jewish World War I Veterans Act directs the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Navy to conduct a review of military service records of Jewish American veterans of World War I, including those previously awarded a military decoration, to determine whether any of the veterans should be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor (and S 1727).
   • HRes 618 Expressing support for designation of 2012-2013 as the “Year of the Korean War Veteran” and recognizing the 60th anniversary of Korean War.
   • S 402 The Cold War Service Medal Act recognizes members of the Armed Forces who served honorably during the Cold War (and HR 1968).
   • HR 1559 Authorizes the Benjamin Harrison Society to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia to honor the patriots of the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

   Recognizing Vietnam Veterans

   This Memorial Day marks the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, in which more than 58,000 service members lost their lives. In January 1962, the U.S. Army began one of the first operations in Vietnam.

   • S 2255 Adds Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day as a patriotic and National observance.
   • H Res 601 Expresses support for designation of a Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.

   See more bills related to Vietnam Veterans.

   See previous Issue Spotlights.

   Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system.