This past Saturday, May 21st was
Armed Forces Day. 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 (the fourth if the month begins on a Sunday, as in 2016).
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. First observed on 20 May 1950, the day was created on 31 August 1949 by Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, 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, which also began in 1950.
