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.
Content
credited by:
United States Department of Defense
http://www.defenselink.mil/afd/military/history.html
