Mindful Memorial Foundation
Menu
Our Story
Welcome to the Mindful Memorial Foundation.
Our Mission:
Honor all post-9/11 fallen service members with Mindful Moments of Gratitude.
The Mindful Memorial Day observance was created by Ben King in 2013 as a way to honor fallen warriors through mindfulness, and more specifically through Mindful Moments of Gratitude. Honoring the sacrifices of fallen warriors has always been a time-honored tradition in the United States. It is an occasion where opening the heart is socially acceptable and culturally appropriate. With the inclusion of mindfulness, honoring the fallen becomes a powerful practice that places focus on mental health, which is a pervasive issue in the veteran community.
Mindful Memorial Day was also founded as a means to raise awareness within the civilian community of the tremendous sacrifices made by service members whose sworn duty is to uphold and protect the values that constitute the United States of America. Therefore, the ultimate aim of Mindful Memorial Day is two-fold: to honor all post-9/11 fallen service members with a Mindful Moment of Gratitude and to strengthen the relationship between warriors and civilians by providing an opportunity to express gratitude and develop mutual understanding.
The nonprofit 501(c)3, Mindful Memorial Foundation (MMF) was established to present Mindful Memorial Day on an annual basis. Activities take place over Memorial Day weekend at the Military Women’s Memorial at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. Central components to Mindful Memorial Day consist of Honor Visits to the graves of all post-9/11 fallen warriors in Section 60 and individual and group gratitude observances. These activities culminate on Saturday of the Mindful Memorial Day weekend at the Military Women’s Memorial with the Fallen Warrior Ribbon Memorial. Since 2020, MMF has broadened these efforts by encouraging people to honor fallen warriors online and in local gatherings as well.
Mindful Memorial Foundation Symbol
To anchor symbolism around mindfully honoring the fallen, MMF created a design that effectively joined the ideas of Mindfulness and Honor. The incomplete circle above the rifle is called an Enso, or Infinity Circle. The Enso is considered to be a sacred symbol that is typically created with one uninterrupted stroke of the brush, which is an indication of satisfaction with what one has. It represents the idea of immense space that is empty and yet full, with no beginning or end. This symbol requires full attention to be placed on the present moment, which is the ultimate goal of mindfulness.
The helmet, rifle, dog tags, and boots symbolize a service member who has died in a combat theater. Often referred to as a Fallen Warrior Symbol or Battlefield Cross, this symbol is made up of a soldier's belongings. The helmet is placed on top of the rifle representing what the soldier stood for and that the battle is over. The rifle is thrust into the ground signifying that the soldier died in battle, fighting to the end. The dog tags are hung from the rifle so that the name of the fallen warrior will never be forgotten. The boots are placed at the base of the rifle indicating that they carried the soldier through the fight for freedom. These two symbols, the incomplete circle and the fallen warrior symbol, when taken together represent our sacred responsibility to honor the fallen in a mindful manner.
Mindful Moments of Gratitude
A mindful moment of gratitude occurs when an individual or group brings total attention to the present moment and focuses that attention fully on gratitude for the sacrifices made by a fallen warrior, their family, and their community. This practice can take various forms. For an individual, a mindful moment of gratitude may begin by focusing on one of the five senses to bring one’s awareness into the present moment. Then, focus is directed throughout the body to help create the best posture. After mental and physical alignment have been achieved, the individual can then mindfully direct their complete attention to the fallen warrior(s).
Honor Visits
An honor visit is a ceremony whereby an individual goes to the gravesite of a fallen soldier and conducts a mindful moment of gratitude to honor the sacrifice of the warrior, their surviving family, and community. In a group setting, a leader states the intention to mindfully honor the fallen, then guides others through a practice that directs focus to the present moment and to postural alignment. The observance culminates with the reading of the name or names to be honored graveside. There is no single correct way to perform this practice, although many use mindfulness meditation, yoga, or other mind/body techniques to facilitate present-moment awareness and establish a connection to the body and mind.
Fallen Warrior Ribbon Memorial
First created in 2014, the Fallen Warrior Ribbon Memorial is assembled every year inside the Military Women’s Memorial at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. As the central observance of Mindful Memorial Day, it serves as a powerful visual representation of the sacrifices made by the post-9/11 warrior community. On the Sunday prior to Memorial Day weekend, volunteers hang one yellow ribbon for every warrior killed in theater after September 11, 2001. The ribbon memorial opens to visitors on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend. If a visitor agrees to participate, a volunteer takes down a ribbon, affixes the name of a post-9/11 fallen warrior, and presents the ribbon to the visitor so they may conduct their own mindful moment of gratitude. The goal every year is to offer each fallen warrior a mindful moment of gratitude for their sacrifice, and for the sacrifices of their family and community.
The Honor Brigade
Initiated in 2016 by the Mindful Memorial Foundation, the Honor Brigade is a campaign to bridge the gap between the warrior and civilian communities. The Honor Brigade aims to use the practice of mindfully honoring the fallen as a foundation for facilitating conversation and interaction between these groups. The Honor Brigade will proceed by recruiting 50 captains who will honor a minimum of 100 fallen soldiers from their specific home state. In May 2023, these 50 captains will come together around the central idea of mindfully honoring the fallen. As Mindful Memorial Day 2023 approaches, captains will help recruit the necessary volunteers to honor all 7,025 warriors who have fallen post 9/11. On Mindful Memorial Day, all captains will assemble at Arlington National Cemetery, locally/regionally, and online to successfully complete the mission of honoring all post 9/11 fallen warriors.
Conclusion
Mindful Memorial Day 2023 represents ten years of completing the mission to Mindfully Honor the Fallen. As our tenth anniversary approaches, the need to uphold this sacred observance has never been more necessary or vital. Honoring the sacrifices of fallen warriors has always been a time-honored tradition in the United States. It is an opportunity to unite together as a country under one revered goal. Celebrating Memorial Day in a mindful way, demands our fullest attention, which is what every fallen service member deserves. It also reclaims Memorial Day from a mere excuse to party, or a holiday, and re-envisions it as the patriotic responsibility it truly is for us all.
We hope you can join us on this mission.
Our Mission:
Honor all post-9/11 fallen service members with Mindful Moments of Gratitude.
The Mindful Memorial Day observance was created by Ben King in 2013 as a way to honor fallen warriors through mindfulness, and more specifically through Mindful Moments of Gratitude. Honoring the sacrifices of fallen warriors has always been a time-honored tradition in the United States. It is an occasion where opening the heart is socially acceptable and culturally appropriate. With the inclusion of mindfulness, honoring the fallen becomes a powerful practice that places focus on mental health, which is a pervasive issue in the veteran community.
Mindful Memorial Day was also founded as a means to raise awareness within the civilian community of the tremendous sacrifices made by service members whose sworn duty is to uphold and protect the values that constitute the United States of America. Therefore, the ultimate aim of Mindful Memorial Day is two-fold: to honor all post-9/11 fallen service members with a Mindful Moment of Gratitude and to strengthen the relationship between warriors and civilians by providing an opportunity to express gratitude and develop mutual understanding.
The nonprofit 501(c)3, Mindful Memorial Foundation (MMF) was established to present Mindful Memorial Day on an annual basis. Activities take place over Memorial Day weekend at the Military Women’s Memorial at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. Central components to Mindful Memorial Day consist of Honor Visits to the graves of all post-9/11 fallen warriors in Section 60 and individual and group gratitude observances. These activities culminate on Saturday of the Mindful Memorial Day weekend at the Military Women’s Memorial with the Fallen Warrior Ribbon Memorial. Since 2020, MMF has broadened these efforts by encouraging people to honor fallen warriors online and in local gatherings as well.
Mindful Memorial Foundation Symbol
To anchor symbolism around mindfully honoring the fallen, MMF created a design that effectively joined the ideas of Mindfulness and Honor. The incomplete circle above the rifle is called an Enso, or Infinity Circle. The Enso is considered to be a sacred symbol that is typically created with one uninterrupted stroke of the brush, which is an indication of satisfaction with what one has. It represents the idea of immense space that is empty and yet full, with no beginning or end. This symbol requires full attention to be placed on the present moment, which is the ultimate goal of mindfulness.
The helmet, rifle, dog tags, and boots symbolize a service member who has died in a combat theater. Often referred to as a Fallen Warrior Symbol or Battlefield Cross, this symbol is made up of a soldier's belongings. The helmet is placed on top of the rifle representing what the soldier stood for and that the battle is over. The rifle is thrust into the ground signifying that the soldier died in battle, fighting to the end. The dog tags are hung from the rifle so that the name of the fallen warrior will never be forgotten. The boots are placed at the base of the rifle indicating that they carried the soldier through the fight for freedom. These two symbols, the incomplete circle and the fallen warrior symbol, when taken together represent our sacred responsibility to honor the fallen in a mindful manner.
Mindful Moments of Gratitude
A mindful moment of gratitude occurs when an individual or group brings total attention to the present moment and focuses that attention fully on gratitude for the sacrifices made by a fallen warrior, their family, and their community. This practice can take various forms. For an individual, a mindful moment of gratitude may begin by focusing on one of the five senses to bring one’s awareness into the present moment. Then, focus is directed throughout the body to help create the best posture. After mental and physical alignment have been achieved, the individual can then mindfully direct their complete attention to the fallen warrior(s).
Honor Visits
An honor visit is a ceremony whereby an individual goes to the gravesite of a fallen soldier and conducts a mindful moment of gratitude to honor the sacrifice of the warrior, their surviving family, and community. In a group setting, a leader states the intention to mindfully honor the fallen, then guides others through a practice that directs focus to the present moment and to postural alignment. The observance culminates with the reading of the name or names to be honored graveside. There is no single correct way to perform this practice, although many use mindfulness meditation, yoga, or other mind/body techniques to facilitate present-moment awareness and establish a connection to the body and mind.
Fallen Warrior Ribbon Memorial
First created in 2014, the Fallen Warrior Ribbon Memorial is assembled every year inside the Military Women’s Memorial at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. As the central observance of Mindful Memorial Day, it serves as a powerful visual representation of the sacrifices made by the post-9/11 warrior community. On the Sunday prior to Memorial Day weekend, volunteers hang one yellow ribbon for every warrior killed in theater after September 11, 2001. The ribbon memorial opens to visitors on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend. If a visitor agrees to participate, a volunteer takes down a ribbon, affixes the name of a post-9/11 fallen warrior, and presents the ribbon to the visitor so they may conduct their own mindful moment of gratitude. The goal every year is to offer each fallen warrior a mindful moment of gratitude for their sacrifice, and for the sacrifices of their family and community.
The Honor Brigade
Initiated in 2016 by the Mindful Memorial Foundation, the Honor Brigade is a campaign to bridge the gap between the warrior and civilian communities. The Honor Brigade aims to use the practice of mindfully honoring the fallen as a foundation for facilitating conversation and interaction between these groups. The Honor Brigade will proceed by recruiting 50 captains who will honor a minimum of 100 fallen soldiers from their specific home state. In May 2023, these 50 captains will come together around the central idea of mindfully honoring the fallen. As Mindful Memorial Day 2023 approaches, captains will help recruit the necessary volunteers to honor all 7,025 warriors who have fallen post 9/11. On Mindful Memorial Day, all captains will assemble at Arlington National Cemetery, locally/regionally, and online to successfully complete the mission of honoring all post 9/11 fallen warriors.
Conclusion
Mindful Memorial Day 2023 represents ten years of completing the mission to Mindfully Honor the Fallen. As our tenth anniversary approaches, the need to uphold this sacred observance has never been more necessary or vital. Honoring the sacrifices of fallen warriors has always been a time-honored tradition in the United States. It is an opportunity to unite together as a country under one revered goal. Celebrating Memorial Day in a mindful way, demands our fullest attention, which is what every fallen service member deserves. It also reclaims Memorial Day from a mere excuse to party, or a holiday, and re-envisions it as the patriotic responsibility it truly is for us all.
We hope you can join us on this mission.
The Mindful Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.