Google Doodle marks Memorial Day with grayed-out look and ‘Taps’

It’s Memorial Day and Google is doing its part to encourage users to remember those who’ve died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

All day long, Google’s logo on its homepage will be posted in gray. And starting at 3 p.m. locally, the official National Moment of Remembrance, the entire desktop version of the page will turn gray. Users will also be able to play “Taps,” the bugle call performed at Armed Forces memorials and funerals. 

Clicking a U.S. folded flag featured on the homepage will take users to this blog post by Google Veterans Network Lead Nick Ralston, who shares his thoughts on the holidays. 

People often confuse Memorial Day as another Veterans Day. The more you learn or the closer you are to its true meaning, the harder it is to balance the prescribed celebration with the sadness and solemnity of the sacrifices by the fallen men and women who are remembered on this day. But that’s the point: Remembrance. 

While mobile users won’t see the entire Google homepage turn gray, the logo will be gray and they’ll still be able to click the flag to access Ralston’s blog post, which includes the above video of “Taps.”