A national effort to honor veterans and service members on Memorial Day is gathering momentum through social media.
"As summer begins, everyone is focused on barbecues, beaches and going to the mall," Mark Szymanski of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) told
The Huffington Post. "This is a time when we can reflect on the service members we have lost."
Through its #GoSilent campaign, the organization is asking the nation to join in a moment of silence at 12:01 p.m. Eastern on Memorial Day and pledge to remember a fallen soldier, the Post reports.
"The #GoSilent campaign allows for a shared, nationwide experience, in which pledges can be made in honor of a fallen veteran or service member," the group said on its website.
IAVA, which was founded in 2004 and is based in New York, kicked off the #GoSilent campaign on Tuesday. As of late Saturday, more than 15,900 pledges had been made to its Twitter page.
On Memorial Day, members will participate in
wreath-laying events at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington and at the USS Intrepid in New York City.