Today we celebrate and honor all men and women on active duty in our Armed Forces. We also thank their families and love ones who support them.
Thank you!
President
Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to
come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in
support of our country.
On
August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of
an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force
Days.
The
single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under
the Department of Defense.
(Source:
Defense.gov)
In
the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May.
It falls near the end of Armed Forces Week, which begins on the second Saturday
of May and ends on the third Sunday of May.
First
observed on 20 May 1950, the day was created on 31 August 1949, to honor
Americans serving in the five U.S. military branches – the U.S. Army, U.S.
Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard – following the
consolidation of the military services in the U.S. Department of Defense. It
was intended to replace the separate Army-, Navy-, Air Force-, Marine Corps-
and Coast Guard Days, but the separate days are still observed, especially within
the respective services.
The
first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions and
air shows. The United States' longest continuously running Armed Forces Day
Parade is held in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 2016, Chattanooga celebrated the
67th year of the Armed Forces Day Parade.
Because
of their unique training schedules, National Guard and Reserve units may
celebrate Armed Forces Day/Week over any period in the month of May.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Interesting U.S. Military Facts:
1. Thirty American presidents served in the U.S.
Army, 24 during time of war. Of the 30,
two became 5-star generals – George
Washington and Dwight Eisenhower.
Teddy Roosevelt was awarded the Medal of Honor. -- military.com
2. 1,760
PlayStation 3s were used to build a
supercomputer for the Department of Defense. -- escapistmagazine.com
3. There are 1.8 million people on active duty,
according to the Department of Defense. -- DOD
4. The Department of Defense owns 29,819,492 acres of
land worldwide. -- DOD
5. The United States has 737 military installations
overseas. -- DOD
6. According to Military.com, the Navy’s bell-bottom
trousers are believed to have been introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll
them above the knee when washing down the decks. In addition, the trousers can
be used as a life preserver if you knot
the legs.
7. The Marine
Corps motto is "Semper Fidelis,” Latin for “Always Faithful.”
8. The last time the United States "declared
war" was in 1942. -- Wikipedia
9. The U.S. Department of Defense is the world's
largest employer. -- DOD
10. The Department of Defense uses 4,600,000,000 US
gallons of fuel annually -- DOD
11. Stores on U.S. military bases outside of America
will not accept pennies as currency. It’s too expensive to ship them there and
back. -- Los Angeles Times
12. The U.S. military uses a nearly silent type of
Velcro which reduces the ripping noise by over 95 percent. -- Reddit
13. A service member in a designated combat zone or
hazardous duty area, generally does not have to pay federal income tax on the
military pay and reimbursements during his or her service there. -- Internal Revenue
14. In 1949, a U.S. Army Private First Class – known
to the payroll department as an “E-3” --
took home a monthly check of $99.55 in “basic pay.” That $99.55 came after he had
been in the service for 2 years and had no dependents.
(Source: AJC.COM)
