ce magazine may 2021

memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between
our country and its foes.‖
One hundred years later, in 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as
part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. As a
result, from 1971 onwards, the Memorial Day holiday was officially
observed on the last Monday in May, and became the unofficial start of
the summer.
In 2000, President Clinton passed a resolution asking all Americans to
observe a ―National Moment of Remembrance‖ to ―remember and reflect
on the sacrifices made by so many to provide freedom for all.‖ It‘s
supposed to happen at 3:00 pm on each Memorial Day.
While the nation as a whole may pause to honor the service and sacrifice
of the fallen for one moment, on one day of the year, we must remember
that the children of the fallen must live with the memory of their loss
every single day.
In 2012, Joe Lewis, a retired Lt. Col with 25 years of service as an enlisted
Army field artillery canon crewman, a Marine Corps fighter pilot, and an
Air Force Reconnaissance pilot founded Angels of America‘s Fallen,
because he saw a gap in support for the children of his fallen friends in all
branches of the military and among first responders.
Lewis noticed there was no program providing opportunities for the
children to be engaged in healthy activities throughout their childhood and
into their young adulthood. So he created one.
Angels of America‘s Fallen was designed to provide long term support
during every year of childhood, from initial grief counseling to
scholarships.
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