Bells of Peace is a World War I Remembrance by the National WWI Commission whose goals/objectives are to have every bell in every time zone ringing 21 times at exactly 11 am on November 11 remembering the millions that served and hundreds of thousands that died.
Every bell located in all public places should be tolled 21 times at 11am.
This service is in cooperation with the National Centennial Commission and ends our four year observance of the 100th anniversary of the "War to end all wars" - at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
About a dozen Post members were at the main Flag pole for this ceremony. Pete Woodruff played the 21 bells while members saluted the flag.
The World War I Centennial Commission and the National Park Service have designated the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia as the Honorary Bell of Peace to commemorate the Centennial of the Armistice on November 11.
The Liberty Bell, the most prominent and revered bell in the nation, is on display in Philadelphia at the National Park Services Independence Park. Owing to a crack that dates from the mid-19th century, it cannot be tolled.
National Park Service Interpretive Specialist Bill Caughlin explained that the history of the Liberty Bell is closely entwined with American involvement in World Warr I. Philadelphia Mayor Thomas Smith tapped it to announce the first war bond drive in June 1917, and the bell's image appeared in countless posters advertising Liberty Bonds, which citizens were encouraged to buy to help pay for the war. Song writers Joe Goodwin and Halsey K. Moore composed "Liberty Bell - It's Time to Ring Again" and their song reached the Top Five in 1918.
After the war, Allied leaders visited the bell, including the King and Queen of Belgium and Field Marshall Joseph Joffre of France, who said little, but kissed the bell, according to the National Park Service. General John J. Pershing visited the bell on September 12, 1919, and was presented with a small golden Liberty Bell in recognition of his leadership of American armies in the World War.
The National Park Service will toll the Centennial Bell, which was placed in Independence Hall in 1876, at 11:11 a.m. on November 11, 2018, to mark the Centennial of the Armistice that ended "the war that changed the world." The Liberty Bell, silent in her enclosure nearby, will stand witness to the commemoration as the Honorary Bell of Peace, sustaining her place as the indelible symbol of the freedom of our republic.
