Armed
Forces Day
May 17,
2014
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.
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| Flags carried by each branch of the service at an Armed Forces Day parade in Washington, D.C.
I
have not found any special local activities in the Knox County area to
celebrate Armed Forces Day. Usually communities have their parades on Memorial
Day at the end of the month. I would guess that financially and otherwise it
would be difficult to put together two parades in one month. I have marched in
many a Memorial Day parade as both part of the Rockland High School Band and
the Drum Corps.
Support Our Troops
The
following charitable organizations help send gifts, cards, and care packages to
our troops:
Adopt a Platoon -- Support the
troops through gifts and sponsored mail.
Any Soldier -- Sponsor care packages to servicemembers in Iraq. Army and Air Force Exchange Services -- Purchase gift certificates for active and hospitalized servicemembers. Blue Star Mothers -- Organizes postcards to troops and care packages, and is currently petitioning Congress for reduced air fares for servicemembers. Books for Soldiers -- Donate books, movies, and more. Cell Phones for Soldiers -- Donate your old cell phones, which pay for calling cards for our troops. Commissary Gift Certificates -- Give the gift of groceries -- buy or donate gift certificates. A Million Thanks -- Collects emails and letters of appreciation for our armed forces. Operaton Dear Abby -- Send greetings and messages of support. Operation Give -- Donate toys to be given to the children of Iraq. Operation Gratitude -- Contribute to care packages sent to our servicemembers. Operation Homefront Hugs -- Contribute to care packages, or adopt a servicemember. Operation Troop Aid -- Provide care packages for our deployed U.S. Servicemembers. Operation USO Care Package -- Sponsor a care package for $25.
For more
ways to support our troops, go to:
Let’s Have Our Own Parade
Here’s some parade music from YouTube for our own Armed Forces Day
Parade. Hum or sing along. Listen to the history of some of these songs by the
Band Leader of the United States Marine Band. Enjoy.
Red Skelton Said it Best
Thank you
Red. Thanks for listening.
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