Today is Memorial Day in the United States.

Memorial Day always brings one of my pet peeves: people who say “Happy Memorial Day.”

I get it. You’re excited about the 3-day weekend, the start of summer, the big sale at the mall or online (does anyone still go to malls?) You want to celebrate your freedom. Cool. We’ve got a day for that. It’s not today.

Memorial Day is the day we remember the men and women who died while serving our country in the armed forces. It’s a solemn day; a day for reflection and remembrance.

How Memorial Day Lost It’s Meaning

The 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the observance of Memorial Day from May 30 to the last Monday in May to create a convenient three-day weekend for federal employees. I’m not being a cynic. This was the actual purpose of the UMHA, which was sponsored by the travel industry.

That move turned Memorial Day from a day of solemn observance to a holiday. It’s now the unofficial start of summer; a day for the beach, bar-b-ques, blockbusters, shopping and sales.

Scroll through your Instagram feed today. How many images do you see that proclaim “Happy Memorial Day”?

This is America: a land where the pursuit of happiness is so unrelenting that we attempt to impose it even in the moments dedicated to solemn remembrance.

Every Day Has Its Purpose

I’ve heard arguments that Memorial Day is a happy day. People say it’s a day to celebrate our freedom and to honor all who serve and served in the military. It’s a day to thank our military heroes for their service.

These are all great sentiments. And…

No.

We have a day to celebrate our freedom; it’s called Independence Day.

And we have a day dedicated to honoring and thanking our veterans for their service; it’s called Veteran’s Day.

Interesting to note that Veteran’s Day was initially included in the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, and was subsequently moved back to it’s original date of November 11. No 3-day weekend for them.

We also have Armed Forces Day, which honors those currently serving in the U.S. military.

Memorial Day is not Veteran’s Day. It’s not Armed Forces Day. And it’s not Independence Day.

Israel’s Memorial Day

Contrast the United States Memorial Day with how Israel observes its Memorial Day.

The Israeli Memorial Day — called Yom Hazikaron, the day of rememberance — is recognized as a day to honor both fallen soldiers and, more recently, civilians kills in acts of terrorism.

Israel’s Memorial Day comes one day before Israel’s Independence Day. This serves to remind its citizens that freedom has a price.

In Israel, by law, all places of entertainment are closed on the eve of Yom Hazikaron. Regular television programs cease for the day, and the names and ranks of every soldier who died for Israel are displayed in a 24-hour television broadcast.

A one-minute siren the evening before marks the start of Yom Hazikaron The next morning, a 2-minute siren marks the opening of the official remembrance ceremonies. The sirens are heard throughout the country.

While the sirens wail, everything and everyone stops.

Everything. Everyone.

People walking down the street stop in their tracks. Drivers stop their cars on the streets and on the highways, and step out of their vehicles. Everyone, everywhere, stands in silence, to commemorate the fallen and show respect for the sacrifices made.

Watch it. Feel the power of a country who honors its fallen, who respects the sacrifices made for their freedom.

Perhaps we can learn from this.

3 PM: Moment of Silence

Apparently, the U.S. has made efforts to adopt something like this.

In 2000, after a poll showed that only 28% of Americans knew the meaning of Memorial Day, Congress passed The National Moment of Remembrance Act, as an added way of honoring our fallen heroes.

The act designates 3 PM local time on Memorial Day as a time for a minute of silence to honor the men and women who died in serving our country.

If you didn’t know about it, now you do.

A Day For Remembrance

Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who died while serving our country. Today is for acknowledging and honoring the people who gave the supreme sacrifice for our freedom.

I’m not saying we need to be in mourning all day. In fact, one of the remarkable things about Israel’s moment of silence is what happens when the siren stops: everyone picks up and continues on with their activities.

Life does go on. There are reasons to celebrate. But there’s a time for celebration, a time for happiness.

First, we must remember how we got here. People died so we can be free.

Today is Memorial Day. A day to reflect and remember.