A few years ago, my wife and I were on a trip to London for a long weekend in November. People everywhere were wearing red poppies on their lapels, and when they were offered to us for a small donation, we gladly accepted and wore them for the remainder of the trip. We were informed that Remembrance Day was coming up on November 11th, and that the nation as a whole wore the poppies in advance of the holiday to pay their respects to their nation’s fallen soldiers.

We wore our poppies for the remainder of the trip. It was a ridiculously small thing to do in honor of Britain’s servicemen, and whenever we travel, we make it a point to do follow the “When in Rome, do as Romans do” style of travel.

But the point I want to make is this:

One morning, as we were walking through the Underground station near our hotel, there was one of those very loud and garbled announcements that you can hear in just about any subway station in New York City. I didn’t hear exactly what they said, but I did notice the effect it had on the people around me: People with briefcases in hand that had, moments before, been racing to whatever appointment they had, were now standing stock still in absolute silence.

Every. Single. Person.

You could have heard the proverbial pin drop in that station for a full minute. In fact, the silence and stillness was so sudden that my wife and I were the only ones still walking and talking and–feeling like complete jackasses–we stopped dead and shut up.

I was confused. I didn’t understand for a moment why everybody was doing this. I looked up at the station clock…11:00 AM. And it dawned on me: At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the armistice that ended World War I was signed. This was Armistice Day, which was now Remembrance Day, and what I was witnessing was a national moment of silence. Every person in the country was taking one full minute out of their day, regardless of how inconvenient it was, to remember the people who had died for their freedoms.

And realizing this, I admit I got a little weepy. What a wonderful way to pay respects to one nation’s fallen. And then I wondered why America doesn’t do the same. And I got angry.

Here, we have a parade, maybe hear a mention on the television about what day it is, and then go back to ordering our cheeseburgers medium rare and slapping on some more sunscreen. It’s deplorable, really, especially in light of the fact that we’ve probably lost more people in combat over the years than any other country.

So here’s my suggestion: A national moment of silence on Memorial Day, perhaps at a symbolic moment for our nation, like at 9:11 or something. But there should be something more. Anything.

Sadly, I’m not sure many in America would even pay attention–or part with their burger for a full minute. Or perhaps it would just be considered politically incorrect, somehow.

And that, in my opinion, is a national embarrassment.