Cold War Patriots asking for ‘National Day of Rememberance’
Cold War Patriots (CWP), a community resource organization that is the nation’s strongest and most sustained voice advocating for worker benefits, is asking for the public’s help in getting Oct. 30 permanently designated as the National Day of Remembrance for nuclear weapons and uranium workers.
Designating Oct. 30 as the permanent National Day of Remembrance will be much like Flag Day rather than a national holiday like Memorial Day or Veterans’ Day.
Each year since 2008, at CWP’s request, the U.S. Senate has passed a bipartisan resolution designating Oct. 30 as a day to honor the men and women working in the U.S. nuclear weapons and uranium industries and to remember those who are no longer with us.
These patriots – more than 1 million in total – often worked in secrecy and have been instrumental in protecting our nation since World War II.
For the last 11 years, CWP has honored workers with National Day of Remembrance ceremonies that pay tribute to the living patriots and remember those who have gone before.
The organization has also used the National Day of Remembrance to raise awareness among the general public about the dedication of these workers and the ongoing health issues they often suffer because of their service.
CWP will once again ask Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to introduce the resolution and will ask Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) to be the lead co-sponsor.
Each of these Senators has a Department of Energy facility in their state and have supported the annual National Day of Remembrance Designation in the past.
“We are working a two-pronged approach to accomplish our goal of getting the National Day of Remembrance on the calendar permanently – either by a ‘stand-alone’ Senate resolution or by having an amendment attached to the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),” says CWP Spokesperson Tim Lerew.
“Either way, we need the public’s help, and we’re asking everyone to take just a moment out of their day to sign our petition to ensure the sacrifice of these workers continues to be honored.”
Lerew says those interested in supporting the effort must sign the CWP petition by June 26, 2020: https://bit.ly/3eKwLvW.
To join the effort, petition supporters will need to include their name, city, state and phone number.
Former workers have the option to also indicate where they were employed.
To learn more, go to www.coldwarpatriots.org or call 888-903-8989.