Here in the United States, we are observing Memorial Day today which honors those men and women that have laid down their lives in our nation’s service.  Here’s a fact I only learned recently about why the flag is only at half staff until noon:

On Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.

Here at Cisco, our military focused employee resource group (ERG) is just finishing up its annual spring care package drive to troops overseas.  It is always an education to get thank you notes from our troops for even the most basic necessities that we send over. Appreciative notes from our soldiers for snacks, toothbrushes and toilet paper certainly puts perspective on our sometimes trivial concerns stateside.

The national moment of remembrance is at 3pm local time today.  If you’re in the United States, pause to reflect and recognize those individuals who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms.

Related Links

Cisco’s Veterans Enablement & Troops Support (VETS) employee resource group

Veterans Corporate Technology Day

Tags: diversity, Employee Resource Group, inclusion, Inclusion and Diversity, memorial day, military, veterans