Armed Forces Day cards

Ten-hut! Mark your calendar soldier, the third Saturday of May is Armed Forces Day. According to the U.S. Defense Department, Armed Forces Day is “a type of ‘educational program for civilians,’ one in which there would be an increased awareness of the Armed Forces.” Fortunately they have found ways to achieve this goal that don’t involve putting the whole civilian populace through boot camp. The order of the day usually involves parades, voluntary informational sessions, and open houses at certain military bases and facilities. It’s enough to put the mind of any military enthusiast at ease, unless of course said enthusiast has to wake up to a bugle blast of reveille that morning.

Armed Forces Day comes near the end of Armed Forces Week, which begins a week earlier and ends the next day, a nine day event in total. The history of Armed Forces Day goes back to the late 1940s; at that time each branch of the military separated its own holiday separately, and as a result, nobody paid much attention to any of them. The first Armed Forces Day was announced by the Defense Department in 1949 and recognized by President Truman the next year. In contrast to other military holidays, Armed Forces Day focuses on currently serving military personnel, as well as its goal of awareness and education. Thus, it’s a pretty good time to write to friends or family in the military to thank them for their service. And for those serving in the armed forces, it’s a great opportunity to request that your civilian friends drop and do 100 push ups.