More memorial days

You probably know that this Monday, May 25, is Memorial Day, but did you know that there is an official government organization whose job it is to “encourage Americans to honor the sacrifices of America’s fallen and the families they left behind”? Each Memorial Day, at 3 p.m., the White House Commission on Remembrance facilitates a moment of unity that includes a moment of silence in all Major League baseball parks punctuated by 200 Amtrak trains blasting their whistles simultaneously. In addition to the all-inclusive Memorial Day, the commission holds other remembrance tributes for those whose lives were lost in specific military-related tragedies. Visit www.remember.gov for more info.

White House Commission on Remembrance
annual tributes

Jan. 28 Challenger Disaster
Feb. 27 Gulf War
April 19 Oklahoma City Bombing
April 25 Iran Hostage Rescue Mission
May 17 USS Stark Incident
May 26 Memorial Day
June 25 Khobar Towers Bombing (Saudi Arabia)
Sept. 20 Time of Remembrance (day for families of fallen military personnel)
Oct. 3 Operation Restore Hope (Somalia)
Oct. 12 USS Cole Bombing
Oct. 23 Beirut Terrorist Bombing
Oct. 25 Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada)
Dec. 12 Gander Air Disaster (Newfoundland)
Dec. 20 Operation Just Cause (Panama)