Bills
| 3.23.22

A Nationwide Two Minutes of Silence for Veterans Day (S. 1004)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is S. 1004?

(Updated July 31, 2020)

This bill was enacted on October 7, 2016

This bill directs the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the people of the U.S. to observe two minutes of silence on Veterans Day in honor of the service and sacrifice of veterans throughout the history of the nation.

The moment of silence would be observed beginning at 3:11 p.m. Atlantic standard time on Veterans Day. For reference, the Atlantic time zone is one hour ahead of the Eastern time zone, and four hours ahead of the Pacific time zone.

Argument in favor

The country needs to honor and recognize the sacrifices made by veterans from all generations on Veterans Day. Observing two minutes of silence is a thoughtful way to go about that.

Argument opposed

A moment of silence is a nice gesture, but it really doesn’t do anything of substance to honor the sacrifices made by veterans and members of the military.

Impact

All Americans — especially veterans, Congress, and the President.

Cost of S. 1004

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

Of Note: Veterans Day was created following the end of World War I, which effectively ended with an armistice went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919 as the first official observance of Armistice Day as it was then known, and Congress officially recognized November 11th as a federal holiday in 1938.

President Dwight Eisenhower — himself a general that led Allied forces in Europe during World War II — worked with Congress to change the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954 to recognize the sacrifices of service members during World War II and the Korean War. From 1968 until 1978, Congress observed Veterans Day on the fourth Monday in October, but President Gerald Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11th beginning in 1978.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user micadew)