Bells of Peace is a collaborative program, whereby American citizens and organizations, across the entire country, are invited to toll bells in their communities 21 times on Sunday, Nov.11, 2018 at 11 a.m. local time.

Created and designed in collaboration with the nation’s veterans of service with the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the bell tolling provides a reminder of the sacrifice and service of veterans of World War I, and all veterans. Bells will be tolled in communities across the nation, in places of worship, schools, town halls, public carillons and cemeteries, to mark the centennial of the Armistice that brought an end to hostilities, in what Americans hoped had been The War to End All Wars.

This nationwide program is designed to honor those American men and women who served 100 years ago, during World War I. The war ended by an armistice agreement between the warring countries at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918. 

The World War I Centennial Commission has created a page on its website:  Ww1cc.org/bells where people can find information and tools to conduct the bell tolling, and to meaningfully commemorate the service of their local World War One veterans.

World War One took place between July 1914 and Nov.1918, and was one of the deadliest conflicts in world history. More than 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war. The Unites States officially entered the war on April 6, 1917.

About 4.7 million Americans stepped forward to serve in uniform during the war, two million of them were deployed overseas to fight, and 116,516 of them never made it home. 

The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission was established by Congress in 2013 to provide education programs, public outreach, and commemorative events regarding the American involvement in the war. The Centennial Commission was also authorized by Congress to create a new national-level memorial in the nation’s capital, to honor the men and women who served. Information on the new National World War One Memorial can be found at Ww1cc.org/memorial.