Why these brothers want to honor veterans with a moment of silence

What if Americans spent two minutes in silence, to honor their nation's veterans?

Two brothers from Massachusetts are lobbying Congress to create a national moment of silence — when Americans can come to a standstill for two minutes to honor the country’s veterans.

Michael and Daniel Bendetson have been pushing this plan for four years now.

The brothers modeled their idea after witnessing Yom Hazikaron, the national day of remembrance in Israel, where the country stops for two minutes to honor fallen service members and victims of terrorism.

The Bendetsons were standing with their father, Peter, on a Tel Aviv sidewalk in 2010 when the sirens sounded before 120 seconds of reflection.

"At 11 a.m., a siren sounded throughout the entire country," explained Daniel Bendetson, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Michigan. "Hundreds of people at a busy intersection got out of their cars and stood at attention for two minutes to pay respects to those who really make the ultimate sacrifice."

So the Bendetsons set out to have Veterans' Day in the US include two minutes of silence.

The proposal passed the US House of Representatives last week as part of the annual defense bill. Under the House bill, the moment would be observed at 2:11 p.m. on Veterans Day on the East Coast and simultaneously across the country: 1:11 p.m. in Chicago, 11:11 a.m. in Los Angeles, and 9:11 a.m. in Honolulu.

The timing of the moment reflects the historic importance of the number 11 in the signing of the World War I armistice, which took effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.

Michael Bendetson, 24, a Tufts University graduate studying law at the University of Michigan, believes Americans would embrace the idea of a national moment of silence.

"People just lack a mechanism to show that support, to channel it into something and so we feel this allows us to do so."

What if Americans spent two minutes in silence, to honor their nation's veterans?

Two brothers from Massachusetts are lobbying Congress to create a national moment of silence — when Americans can come to a standstill for two minutes to honor the country’s veterans.

Michael and Daniel Bendetson have been pushing this plan for four years now.

The brothers modeled their idea after witnessing Yom Hazikaron, the national day of remembrance in Israel, where the country stops for two minutes to honor fallen service members and victims of terrorism.

The Bendetsons were standing with their father, Peter, on a Tel Aviv sidewalk in 2010 when the sirens sounded before 120 seconds of reflection.

"At 11 a.m., a siren sounded throughout the entire country," explained Daniel Bendetson, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Michigan. "Hundreds of people at a busy intersection got out of their cars and stood at attention for two minutes to pay respects to those who really make the ultimate sacrifice."

So the Bendetsons set out to have Veterans' Day in the US include two minutes of silence.

The proposal passed the US House of Representatives last week as part of the annual defense bill. Under the House bill, the moment would be observed at 2:11 p.m. on Veterans Day on the East Coast and simultaneously across the country: 1:11 p.m. in Chicago, 11:11 a.m. in Los Angeles, and 9:11 a.m. in Honolulu.

The timing of the moment reflects the historic importance of the number 11 in the signing of the World War I armistice, which took effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918.

Michael Bendetson, 24, a Tufts University graduate studying law at the University of Michigan, believes Americans would embrace the idea of a national moment of silence.

"People just lack a mechanism to show that support, to channel it into something and so we feel this allows us to do so."