It’s Armed Forces Day on May 18th and we want to pay tribute to all AMS employees, their families, and the men and women in our communities who have served and are now serving in the Armed Forces. We thank you and we appreciate your sacrifices on our behalf.
It was President Truman who established the holiday with the purpose of honoring the military heroes for their support of the USA. The holiday honors service in all six branches of the military – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and the Space Force. Unlike Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day celebrates men and women currently serving, and honors those serving in the Reserve components of the military and the National Guard. The Air National Guard and the Army National Guard are reserve components of their services. We honor and thank the AMS employees currently serving in the National Guard Reserves.
A Bit of History
From Veterans.com [LINK] we learn some of the history:
“Although, originally, there were single day celebrations for the Army, Navy and Air Force; this format changed on Aug. 21, 1949, when Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of Armed Forces Day.
“The first official Armed Forces Day took place on May 20, 1950, and was themed “Teamed for Defense.” In honor of the special day, B-36 Bombers flew over state capitals, a march was led by more than 10,000 veterans and troops in Washington, D.C., and over 33,000 people participated in a New York City parade.”
“In 1961, John F. Kennedy declared Armed Forces Day a national holiday. It’s celebrated on the third Saturday of every May and is exhibited by exercises, parades, and receptions that highlight and honor our amazing military and all of its strength.”
Celebrated Around the World
We find it interesting that the celebration of Armed Forces is not just done on this day in the US. The other countries participating in recognition of their Armed Forces include Australia and New Zealand, Canada, the UK, France, Japan, China, Russia, and quite a few more. According to our source, other countries that honor their military on this day include the aforementioned plus Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Burma, Chile, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, Georgia, Guatemala, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, North Korea, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
How We Need the Reserves
Reserve duty is similar to a part-time job in that the soldiers attend training one weekend per month plus two weeks totaling 38 days per year. This schedule allows the reservists to work in the private sector in their chosen career fields.
What is so appreciated about AMS employees, and soldiers in our communities, serving in the Military Reserves and National Guard is that they respond to disasters such as flooding, hurricanes and so forth. Army Reserve units have supported many humanitarian and relief operations over the years, and we have come to count on them to ‘be there’ when help is needed.
These Reserve Units have expertise in logistics and engineering, including communications systems, and air and road transportation. They are always needed during humanitarian emergencies and we are grateful that they volunteer to be called upon when we need them.
From our veterans.com source is a list of just the hurricane emergencies where Army Reserve units were called in to help:
“The U.S. Army Reserve has responded to disasters such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Hurricane Maria in 2017, Hurricane Florence in 2018, Hurricane Michael in 2018, Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018, Hurricane Dorian in 2019, and the Puerto Rico Earthquake in 2020.”
Thank You for Your Service
We salute you and thank you, all current members of the US Military and that gratitude definitely extends to the Reserves and National Guard. We searched for an appropriate quote with which to sign off, and found this statement:
“There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” — General James H. Doolittle
Thank you to AMS men and women who serve and have served – you are appreciated and we are grateful that you are there to be called upon in times of domestic need.
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AMS Fulfillment is a Certified B Corporation, dedicated to putting People and Planet before profit. We work to B the Change we wish to see in the world.
