Today is Armed Forces Day and
we salute all members of the U.S. military.
The Defense Department offers
the below history of the day:
On August 31, 1949, Secretary
of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to
replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration
stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department
of Defense. Each of the military leagues and orders was asked to drop
sponsorship of its specific service day in order to celebrate the newly
announced Armed Forces Day. The Army, Navy and Air Force leagues adopted the
newly formed day. The Marine Corps League declined to drop support for Marine
Corps Day but supports Armed Forces Day, too.
In a speech announcing the
formation of the day, President Truman "praised the work of the military
services at home and across the seas" and said, "it is vital to the
security of the nation and to the establishment of a desirable peace." In
an excerpt from the Presidential Proclamation of Feb. 27, 1950, Mr. Truman
stated:
"Armed Forces Day,
Saturday, May 20, 1950, marks the first combined demonstration by America's
defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal
of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the
unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense".
The theme of the first Armed
Forces Day was "Teamed for Defense." It was chosen as a means of
expressing the unification of all the military forces under a single department
of the government. Although this was the theme for the day, there were several
other purposes for holding Armed Forces Day. It was a type of "educational
program for civilians," one in which there would be an increased awareness
of the Armed Forces. It was designed to expand public understanding of what
type of job is performed and the role of the military in civilian life. It was
a day for the military to show "state-of- the-art" equipment to the
civilian population they were protecting. And it was a day to honor and
acknowledge the people of the Armed Forces of the United States.
According to a New York Times
article published on May 17, 1952: "This is the day on which we have the
welcome opportunity to pay special tribute to the men and women of the Armed
Forces ... to all the individuals who are in the service of their country all
over the world. Armed Forces Day won't be a matter of parades and receptions
for a good many of them. They will all be in line of duty and some of them may
give their lives in that duty."
The first Armed Forces Day
was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions, and air shows. In
Washington D.C., 10,000 troops of all branches of the military, cadets, and
veterans marched past the President and his party. In Berlin, 1,000 U.S. troops
paraded for the German citizens at Templehof Airfield. In New York City, an
estimated 33,000 participants initiated Armed Forces Day "under an air
cover of 250 military planes of all types." In the harbors across the
country were the famed mothballed "battlewagons" of World War II, the
Missouri, the New Jersey, the North Carolina, and the Iowa, all open for public
inspection. Precision flying teams dominated the skies as tracking radar were
exhibited on the ground. All across the country, the American people joined
together to honor the Armed Forces.
As the people gathered to
honor the Armed Forces on this occasion, so too did the country's leaders. Some
of the more notable of these leaders' quotes are stated below:
"Armed Forces Day,
Saturday, May 20, 1950, marks the first combined demonstration by America's
defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal
of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the
unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense."
Former Secretary of Defense
Louis Johnson
"The heritage of freedom
must be guarded as carefully in peace as it was in war. Faith, not suspicion,
must be the key to our relationships. Sacrifice, not selfishness, must be the
eternal price of liberty. Vigilance, not appeasement, is the byword of living
freedoms. Our Armed Forces in 1950-- protecting the peace, building for
security with freedom--are "Teamed for Defense ..."
General Omar N. Bradley
Former Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff
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