Toll “Bells of Peace” on 11/11 at 11am local time, and honor all those who served and sacrificed in WWI.
This year for the first time, on 11/11 at 11 am “Bells of Peace” will remember those who served with a ceremony at the new National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C.
From the Doughboy Foundation:
For those of you who are in the Washington, D.C. area, we invite you to join us starting at 10:45 am on November 11th at the National WWI Memorial on Pennsylvania Ave. between 14th and 15th streets NW.
At 11am a bell will toll 21 times, 5 seconds apart.
This will be followed by a moment of silent reflection.
Next will be a reading of, “The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak” by famed poet Archibald MacLeish – an excerpt this poem adorns the Peace Fountain at the WWI Memorial.
The ceremony will close with the special playing of Taps by buglers in WWI uniforms. It is called “Echoing Taps” and is performed by multiple buglers located around the Memorial.
What is the "Bells Of Peace" National Bell Tolling?
"Bells of Peace": A World War I Remembrance is a national tolling of bells in honor of those who served and sacrificed during WWI. It takes place annually on the 11th hour (local) of the 11th day of the 11th month. That is the same moment when in 1918 the guns fell silent and the fighting ceased on the Western Front. During the short 18 months that America participated in WWI (April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918), our nation went from a standing army of around 130,000 to deploying nearly 2 million men and women to Europe. This National event is sponsored by the Doughboy Foundation, a non-profit 501C(3) foundation that is dedicated to keeping faith with the American Doughboys and all those who served in WWI. No veteran should ever be forgotten, and so on our National Veterans Day holiday we are encouraging all to take a moment to remember the 4.7 million Americans who put on the uniform; the over 200,000 that were wounded; and most of all, the 116,516 who made the ultimate sacrifice.
If you would like to participate and create your own Bells of Peace moment for 2021, please go to https://Doughboy.org/bells to sign up, access resources, instructions, download the participation App, learn how to share your participation with others, include your organization’s logo, your social media posts and your remembrance with the many others who are tolling the Bells of Peace. It is a beautiful and poignant moment you can share each Veterans Day.
Since the centennial of the WWI Armistice in 2018, Bells of Peace have been tolled in remembrance of all those who served in WWI at 11am on Veterans Day. Bells of Peace also commemorates the WWI Armistice of November 11, 1918, when the guns fell silent, and bells tolled on the Western Front after four years of brutal combat.
Participants in the Tolling of the Bells of Peace have included, to date, tens of thousands of participants including states, cities, municipalities, ships, military installations, churches, schools, veterans’ organizations, museums, and individuals.
Spread the word far and wide… to insure all those who served in the War that Changed the World will never be forgotten. Post #BellsOfPeace on social media platform!
Download The Bells of Peace Participation App
A multi-function tool, the Participation App provides a countdown timer to the 11th hour (local) of the 11th day of the 11th month with a selection of bell sounds. When the countdown timer reaches 00 00 00, the selected bell will toll 21 times, 5 seconds apart to remember those who served. Participants can also manually toll, share photos & videos of their participation here. The day of Nov. 11 is always very exciting as APP participants share their experiences via the APP. Click here to learn how to USE & DOWNLOAD the APP: https://doughboy.org/bells-app