Memorial Day Calls the Nation to Remember its Fallen Warriors

~ Little known facts about how to observe the Federal Holiday from Cricket

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Cricket Communications, Inc.

May 23, 2013, 11:59 ET

SAN DIEGO, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With Memorial Day weekend just ahead, family and friends will join together to enjoy BBQ gatherings and celebrations, and Cricket would like to offer its appreciation for the Nation's fallen military and several little known facts, practices and traditions that mark the day of remembrance. 

  • Since the American Revolutionary War, 1715 – 1783, the U.S. has lost an estimated 1.3 million soldiers[1].
  • There are 146 National Cemetery designations in the U.S., Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Virginia may be the best known. Visit Wikipedia for a complete list of National Cemeteries.
  • The National Archives offers information about military records, replacements for lost medals and awards, and military photo archives.  More information can be found at the website for Veterans at archives.gov.

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In 2000, the forty second president of the U.S., William Jefferson Clinton, declared on Memorial Day, the twenty seventh of May, a National Moment of Remembrance, which calls for the observation of those who have fallen and the true meaning of the day at 3:00p.m. and for "Taps," the official bugle call for a military funeral, to be played. For the full declaration, please visit this website usmemorialday.org.  Additional ways of observing Memorial Day are listed:

  • by visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes
  • by visiting memorials
  • by flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon
  • by flying the 'POW/MIA Flag' (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act)

The National Memorial Day Parade was started in 2005 after almost 70 years without a parade in Washington, DC. All ages are welcome to attend. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to attend the parade which includes marching bands, active duty and retired military units, youth groups,  parade floats and hundreds of veterans from Wars past. The National Memorial Day parade is organized by The American Veterans Center and is held at 2:00 PM EST, Monday, May 27, 2013 on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. For more information about the National Memorial Day Parade, please visit the website at nationalmemorialdayparade.com. If travel to Washington, DC is not possible, The National Memorial Day Parade can be attended virtually. Join the Parade online by signing up at the virtualbootsontheground.com staging area.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war

SOURCE Cricket Communications, Inc.