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Mariners Included in National Moment of Remembrance

May 2005

Editor’s note: Acting Maritime Administrator John Jamian last month sent the following letter to officials in the maritime industry, including the presidents of the U.S. maritime unions: As Acting Maritime Administrator, I encourage you to participate in the National Moment of Remembrance, taking one minute at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, to remember the sacrifices of America’s fallen, from the Revolutionary War to the present. This honors not only members of the Armed Services, but also the U.S. Merchant Marine and other civilians whose devotion has preserved and defended our heritage of freedom. The observance is sponsored by the White House Commission on Remembrance, a bipartisan, independent executive branch agency. I will be directing the ships of the Maritime Administration’s Ready Reserve Force to dress ship on that day and to ring eight bells at 3:00 p.m. local time, wherever they are in the world. I will also be encouraging them to send an e-mail to the Commission, with a picture if possible, at commission@remember.gov. I encourage all U.S.-flag ships and all gatherings of members of the maritime industry to take appropriate steps to participate in the National Moment of Remembrance. We are grateful to the brave men and women who have served this great country so bravely to ensure the many freedoms we enjoy every day. Sincerely, John Jamian Acting Maritime Administrator