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.

To learn more about the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families, and how people and communities are supporting them, here are some helpful links:

• Get to know our military and the families who sustain them, and learn about the unique experiences of military life:
  • http://www.ourmilitary.mil/learn/our-military-families/
• Check out the amazing support that non-profits and communities provide to our military at:
  • http://www.ourmilitary.mil/resources/community-support-for-our-military/
• Find opportunities to support our military in your community:
  • http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces/get-involved
• Thank our Service members
  • http://www.ourmilitary.mil/resources/connecting-with-our-military/
• Celebrate Armed Forces Day in your community:
  • Joint Service Open House, Andrews Air Force Base, MD, May 19-20, 2012
  • City of Torrance Armed Forces Day Celebration, Torrance, CA, May 18-20, 2012
  • Guide to Armed Forces Day Events in Puget Sound, WA, May 18-20, 2012
  • El Paso, TX Armed Forces Day Celebration, El Paso, TX, May 19, 2012
  • Salute to Our Heroes, Armed Forces Day Concert, San Antonio, TX, May 19, 2012
  • Armed Forces Festival, Savannah, GA, May 25-27, 2012

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

First Lady Michelle Obama, second from left, and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, pose with military families during a Joining Forces Mother's Day event at the White House in Washington, D.C., May 10, 2012. DOD photo by Linda Hosek

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2012 – First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden welcomed military wives, mothers, grandmothers and children to the White House today for a tea to mark Military Spouse Appreciation Day tomorrow and Mother’s Day on Sunday.

“Now is really the perfect time to thank all of you for your service to this country. Every single day, you all are an inspiration to Jill and to me,’” the first lady told more than a hundred people who sat down for afternoon tea in the White House East Room.

“For all of you — and I say this a lot — service isn’t just something that you do once in a while or during the holidays, it’s how you live your lives,” Obama said. “You all are the first ones to step up and say ‘How can I help?’ no matter how busy you are.”

About 45 children representing families from each of the services, many with military mothers, were invited into the White House State Room to make crafts and cards for their mothers. They were joined by the first and second ladies.

The children presented their crafts at the tea where Obama and Biden thanked them, their mothers and grandmothers. The first lady also thanked her own mother who sat with the military families.

“I would not be standing here if it were not for her,” Obama said. “She is my rock. She has taught me to believe in myself, and more importantly, to pick myself up whenever I stumble.“She is always a shoulder to cry on and talk to, and I do that a lot,” Obama said. “And she has always inspired me — something I think is amazing for my mom — to push myself to dream even bigger than anything she could ever dream for herself, and she has always done that. And it’s true today.”

The first lady told the women they are role models not just for their children, but also for the nation. To the grandmothers, she said their children’s desire to serve in uniform is a reflection of their love and values.

“Whenever we think we’re tired,” Obama said of herself and Biden, “we think of your stories and it gets us up. You all are http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/11/presidential-proclamation-military-spouse-appreciation-day-2012an inspiration to our husbands, more importantly, and you all are an inspiration to the entire country. And today I think you deserve to celebrate.”

After the tea, Obama and Biden hosted congressional spouses at the vice president’s residence at the Naval Observatory. There, they helped pack 2,000 Mother’s Day gift boxes of charm bracelets, cosmetics, and other items, as well as handwritten notes from the service members.

The gift boxes were produced and distributed by the USO and Full Circle Home, a nonprofit group started by two military mothers to provide gifts on behalf of deployed service members.

Biden, whose son, Beau, deployed to Iraq for a year with the Army National Guard, said she understands the “incredible gift” the packages would bring to military mothers and wives.

“I know what it feels like for a mom to see that familiar handwriting from a loved one from thousands of miles away,” she said.

Biden told both groups that she and Obama started their ‘Joining Forces’ campaign for military families last year to add support to those who deserve it so much.

• Read the Presidential Proclamation for Military Spouse Appreciation Day:
  http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/11/presidential-proclamation-military-spouse-appreciation-day-2012
• View the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dempsey and Mrs. Dempsey’s Military Spouse Appreciation video message: http://www.jcs.mil (See “Chairman’s Corner” in the lower right hand corner)