Messages from the Top of the Department of Defense for Armed Forces Day/Month

Armed Forces Day

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta Armed Forces Day Message

“Let me take this opportunity to wish all of our troops and their families the very best on this Armed Forces Day. I hope you know that all Americans join me in gratitude for everything you do to keep us safe. Wherever and however you serve, you are an inspiration to me and to millions of your fellow Americans.

“President Truman was right to recognize this day, and even more right when he said that it is ‘not enough to yearn for peace. We must work, and if necessary, fight for it.’

“You fight for peace so that others don’t need to. You work for peace, at home and abroad, so that others may know a better life. Your families share in that labor and in that sacrifice, so that other families need not endure the pains of separation and of strife. There is perhaps no more admirable calling.

“In keeping with that same spirit of service and leadership, heads of state from across the world are joining together at the NATO Summit in Chicago to affirm our shared commitment to work and to fight to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan.

“Our goal is clear: to ensure that Afghanistan will never again serve as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against our homeland. To do that, we have to build an Afghanistan that can secure and govern itself.

“Thanks to your service and that of your international and Afghan partners, we are closer to achieving these goals than we ever have been before. Al Qaeda’s leadership has been decimated, the Taliban’s momentum has been thrust back, and the Afghan National Security Forces are increasingly in the lead.

“In the past year, I have had the opportunity to meet thousands of you at installations across the globe. As the war in Afghanistan draws towards its conclusion, you still face difficult tasks ahead. But every day I serve as Secretary of Defense, I have been amazed and impressed by your grit and determination, and your resilience. It’s the same grit that won the day at Gettysburg, that scaled the cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc, that sunk four enemy carriers at Midway, that broke the enemy’s back at Inchon and broke through the Berlin blockade.

“You stand on broad shoulders — a legacy of courage going back to this nation’s founding. Yet you have set a new standard while carrying a heavy burden over the last decade of war.

“As Americans take this Armed Forces Day to reflect on your service and that of your loved ones, I hope they also find new ways to show you the admiration and the respect you have so rightly earned. You have made our nation stronger and safer over the past decade of war, and whether in uniform or out, I know that you will continue to lead this country and never stop working to fulfill the dream of giving our children a better life.”

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Source –

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta Armed Forces Day Message – Press Release No. 401-12 – Posted May 18, 2012 – http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15292 – Accessed 19 May 2012 – U.S. Department of Defense – http://www.defense.gov/

 

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Panetta Praises Troops on Armed Forces Day

 

Armed Forces Salute (commandperformanceleadership.wordpress.com)

 

Armed Forces Day ~ May 19, 2012 (commandperformanceleadership.wordpress.com)

Armed Forces Day ~ May 19, 2012

Salute Our Military: Armed Forces Day Is May 19, 2012

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 pass 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.

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Source –

Salute Our Military: Armed Forces Day Is May 19, 2012 – http://www.ourmilitary.mil/hot-topic/salute-our-military-armed-forces-day-is-may-19-2012/ – Accessed 19 May 2012 – OurMilitary.mil – http://www.ourmilitary.mil/

Related Article –

Armed Forces Salute

Armed Forces Salute

Armed Forces week has marched along, culminating in the honoring of our military tomorrow; Armed Forces Day (May 19, 2012).  I wanted to kick off this blog’s commemoration of Armed Forces Day with a tribute to the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to preserve and protect our country.  In this video, The West Virginia University Band presents our “Armed Forces Salute,” which features a medley of the songs from all branches of our great military, as well as a very special field show that will absolutely amaze you; truly fascinating what they do in this video.  Enjoy!!!