Armed Forces Day in United States

Many Americans celebrate Armed Forces Day annually on the third Saturday of May. It is a day to pay tribute to men and women who serve the United States’ armed forces. Armed Forces Day is also part of Armed Forces Week, which begins on the second Saturday of May.


A member of the US armed forces hugs his daughter.

What do people do?

Many events across the United States take place on Armed Forces Day to honor Americans in uniform who served their country in times of war and peace. Those who are honored on this day include people who serve the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. National Guard and Reserve units may celebrate Armed Forces Day/Week over any period in May because of their unique training schedules. Events and activities may include:

Multi-service military displays in areas open for the public.
Various educational activities that teach children about the armed forces.
“Support the Troops” themed motorcycle rides.
Large parades and other local celebrations.

Certain types of music are also played at Armed Forces Day events, including at memorials and at cemeteries, as a way to respect those in the armed forces who died for their country. For example, buglers have played a bugle call, known simply as Taps, on Armed Forces Day in recent years. Taps is usually sounded by the United States military at events such as flag ceremonies, memorial services and funerals.

Public Life

Traffic and parking may be affected in areas where large-scale events are held for Armed Forces Day.

Background

On August 31, 1949, Louis Johnson, who was the United States’ Secretary of Defense, announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The event stemmed from the armed forces’ unification under one department – the Department of Defense. 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.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on Saturday, May 20, 1950. The theme for that day was “Teamed for Defense”, which expressed the unification of all military forces under one government department. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the day was designed to expand public understanding of what type of job was performed and the role of the military in civilian life.

Armed Forces Day was a day for the military to show "state-of-the-art" equipment to Americans. It was also a day to honor and acknowledge Americans in the armed forces. Parades, open houses, receptions and air shows were held at the inaugural Armed Forces Day. Armed Forces Day is still celebrated nationwide today and is part of Armed Forces Week.

Symbols

Posters and other material used to promote Armed Forces Day often show images of Americans in the armed services dressed in their uniforms. Some posters show a collage of images, including images of those in the armed forces with their families or friends, as well as the United States Flag.

Themes

Some themes that were used for Armed Forces Day in the past included:

Appreciation of a Nation
Dedication and Devotion
Freedom Through Unity
Liberty
Patriotism
Power for Peace
Prepared to Meet the Challenge
Security
Special Opportunity for Thanks
Teamed for Defense

These are only a few examples, and not a full list, of the Armed Forces Day themes in previous years.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/armed-forces-day

This amazing video will knock your socks off. You will YELL when you see this!

This is a powerful video and musical tribute to the U.S. Navy and its manifold capabilities. The Navy is the force that can bring American military might to bear anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. The song is “Hell Yeah”. Intense and the videos are fast and furious. Enjoy!


http://blog.theveteranssite.com/a-fun-us...E0Jy0gF.01

Tip, you were Army during VW, right? I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I can't thank you enough for your service.

(05-27-2015 07:28 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  Tip, you were Army during VW, right? I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I can't thank you enough for your service.

Yes I was in during the VietNam War. I went twice to VietNam. Once to Pleiku and once to Phu Bai. I was in the Army from 1965-1985. Thank you for the remembrance.

Please accept my gratitude as well for your service, CTip and all others who served. These days it seems the US gets blamed for every action and every inaction worldwide, so it's refreshing to hear about others who remain grateful for the sacrifices made by our military. The following is a long piece with great links, video and a map so it's better to just read it at the Washington Post. But here's the first few paragraphs:

Quote:Americans gave their lives to defeat the Nazis. The Dutch have never forgotten.
By Ian Shapira May 24

Dutch honor Americans’ graves in display of gratitude

Thousands bring Memorial Day bouquets for the 8,300 headstones they’ve adopted as their own, just as they have for 70 years.


MARGRATEN, Netherlands — They haven’t forgotten. For 70 years, the Dutch have come to a verdant U.S. cemetery outside this small village to care for the graves of Americans killed in World War II.

On Sunday, they came again, bearing
Memorial Day bouquets for men and women they never knew, but whose 8,300 headstones the people of the Netherlands have adopted as their own.

For the American relatives of the fallen, it was an outpouring of gratitude almost as stunning as the rows of white marble crosses and Jewish Stars of David at the Netherlands American Cemetery. Each grave has been adopted by a Dutch or, in some cases, Belgian or German family, as well as local schools, companies and military organizations. More than 100 people are on a waiting list to become caretakers.

At the cemetery’s annual commemoration, 6,000 people poured onto the 65-acre burial grounds just a few miles from the German border, including scores of descendants of American war dead who had traveled here from all over the United States. They were eager to pay tribute to parents or grandparents who had died to defeat the Nazis. But they also wanted to thank the Dutch families who had been tending the graves of their loved ones, often passing the responsibility from one generation to the next.

For Arthur Chotin, 70, who had come from Annapolis, Md., to finally meet the couple caring for his father’s resting place, the devotion of the Dutch was a source of awe....

(05-27-2015 10:45 AM)ctipton Wrote:  

(05-27-2015 07:28 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  Tip, you were Army during VW, right? I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I can't thank you enough for your service.

Yes I was in during the VietNam War. I went twice to VietNam. Once to Pleiku and once to Phu Bai. I was in the Army from 1965-1985. Thank you for the remembrance.

I wonder if you were in Phu Bai with my Uncle. He was with VMO-3 when one of the operations generals went down and was transfered over to VMO-6 to finish his service about a year after. He was discharged in 1975.

He's a big reason why I became such a military buff, he's still trying to get me into the air with him once...I'm just worried he's going to pull something and screw me up for flying forever haha.

(05-27-2015 03:50 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-27-2015 10:45 AM)ctipton Wrote:  

(05-27-2015 07:28 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  Tip, you were Army during VW, right? I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I can't thank you enough for your service.

Yes I was in during the VietNam War. I went twice to VietNam. Once to Pleiku and once to Phu Bai. I was in the Army from 1965-1985. Thank you for the remembrance.

I wonder if you were in Phu Bai with my Uncle. He was with VMO-3 when one of the operations generals went down and was transfered over to VMO-6 to finish his service about a year after. He was discharged in 1975.

He's a big reason why I became such a military buff, he's still trying to get me into the air with him once...I'm just worried he's going to pull something and screw me up for flying forever haha.

Yeah, I was in Phu Bai during the Tet of 68 Offensive. But I never had much to do with Marine Aviation. I was a voice intercept operator with the Army Security Agency and interrogator.

The following is from Wikipedia:

On November 14, 1967 Major General Bruno Hochmuth, then commanding general of the 3rd Marine Division was killed when a UH-1E Huey from VMO-3 exploded and crashed 5 miles northwest of Huế. Four others also died in this crash.

The squadron assumed a new identity in March 1968 when VMO-3 was re-designated HML-367 and immediately began operations in direct support of ground combat units.

(05-27-2015 09:51 PM)ctipton Wrote:  

(05-27-2015 03:50 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-27-2015 10:45 AM)ctipton Wrote:  

(05-27-2015 07:28 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  Tip, you were Army during VW, right? I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I can't thank you enough for your service.

Yes I was in during the VietNam War. I went twice to VietNam. Once to Pleiku and once to Phu Bai. I was in the Army from 1965-1985. Thank you for the remembrance.

I wonder if you were in Phu Bai with my Uncle. He was with VMO-3 when one of the operations generals went down and was transfered over to VMO-6 to finish his service about a year after. He was discharged in 1975.

He's a big reason why I became such a military buff, he's still trying to get me into the air with him once...I'm just worried he's going to pull something and screw me up for flying forever haha.

Yeah, I was in Phu Bai during the Tet of 68 Offensive. But I never had much to do with Marine Aviation. I was a voice intercept operator with the Army Security Agency and interrogator.

The following is from Wikipedia:

On November 14, 1967 Major General Bruno Hochmuth, then commanding general of the 3rd Marine Division was killed when a UH-1E Huey from VMO-3 exploded and crashed 5 miles northwest of Huế. Four others also died in this crash.

The squadron assumed a new identity in March 1968 when VMO-3 was re-designated HML-367 and immediately began operations in direct support of ground combat units.

I've seen that patch more times than I can count. That and the hellcats one are on quite a few jackets, and walls, in his house. He said he put in for transfer after that 2-star went down because of the increased oversight they had, was really hard to push mission parameters (his biggest problem was their planned recall after that was typically at range plus 40 miles, which normally cost about 5-10 minutes of overhead support for the infantry) any longer after that.

He said the General's Huey was nearly out of fuel and the pilot pulled a stall maneuver to try to evade an enemy forward encampment, and when turning the engine over, the remaining fuel vapor left in the engine was ignited by a spark plug and blew the overhead rotor. After that, they wouldn't allow pilots to maintain operational support when their range was under the return to base range PLUS 40 miles, to keep more liquid fuel in the engine itself.