Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day was created on August 31, 1949, by then-Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The event stemmed from the Armed Forces’ unification under one Department of Defense by then-President Harry S. Truman when he signed the National Security Act into law on July 26, 1947.

Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May and it is the proper day to honor all of the men and women currently serving, as well as those who have served and sacrificed to defend our freedom. It wasn’t until March 18, 1961, when President John F. Kennedy declared the third Saturday of May to be a federal holiday.

Unlike Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day is not a National holiday.