Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is asking Americans to offer one minute of silence on Monday, Memorial Day, as a solemn reminder of the day's true meaning.
For so many Americans, Memorial Day has become just another three-day weekend, filled with barbecues and department store sales that signify the start of summer, the group states in a Facebook posting. That's why IAVA is once again setting out to remind America what Memorial Day is all about.
IAVA spokeswoman Cynthia Olson said this is the fifth year that the group has run its "Go Silent" campaign. It's promoting it through its Facebook and Twitter accounts as "#GoSilent".
More than 6,000 people have already taken the pledge to #GoSilent at 12:01 pm ET on Monday, Olson told Military.com in an email Thursday. The #GoSilent campaign allows for a shared, nationwide experience. The Campaign is designed to help people feel a part of Memorial Day.
She said the minute of silence will coincide with a number of events in New York, Washington and elsewhere. IAVA will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
Memorial Day is one of the most important and moving days of the year for veterans, the group said, because so many have lost friends and family.
Through its #GoSilent campaign, the organization seeks to honor those who have died in service and also bridge the civilian/military divide by helping all Americans remember those who fell.
-- Bryant Jordan can be reached at Bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at@BryantJordan.
![](http://images04.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_large/public/2024-11/1time%20cher%20uss%20missouri%201200.jpg?itok=qi9yyMAM "Cher's more formal look in her 1989 music video, "If I Could Turn Back Time," filmed aboard the battleship USS Missouri. (Criteron Studios)")
