Armed Forces Day is the day that we salute all the women and men who serve in our Armed Forces. In war and peace, these brave individuals make sacrifices far beyond what most of us appreciate.
In the name of freedom, they give up the comfort and convenience of civilian life in order to protect our rights and liberties. Without their devotion to duty and dedication to freedom there simply would not be the United States of America.
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 one department — the Department of Defense.
So, on this Armed Forces Day, I salute and thank those women and men who have worn the uniform of our country in the cause of freedom.
