There seems to be so many things going on in the culture at one time, that I am ashamed to admit this slipped past me and that is the observance of Armed Forces Day in the United States, on the third Saturday in May.

First, just a bit of history here; on August 31, 1948, under the then Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, who served in the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the creation of Armed Forces Day was announced.

Originally there were “single day celebrations for each branch of the military…the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force”.  But the Armed Forces were united from then on under the Department of Defense, with the first official Armed Forces Day taking place on May 20, 1950.

 

 …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 addition the first Armed Forces Day also played an essential role in education in society and expanding public knowledge of the military and the role they play in the community.

 

Did you know that in 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared Armed Forces Day a national holiday to be observed on the third Saturday of May with exercises, parades and receptions that highlight and honor our amazing military?

Interestingly, many other countries besides the United States, including the United Kingdom, observe this day.

In fact, the bouquet that the Duchess of Sussex carried in her hand down the aisle of St. George’s Chapel at her wedding, was placed at England’s Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey.

It is a tradition begun in 1923 by the then Queen Mother after her wedding to the Duke of York, who later became King George VI . She is said to have placed the flowers there in memory of her brother, Fergus, killed in 1915 during World War I.

The grave which is at the west of the nave of the Abbey contains the body of a soldier brought back from France after World War I.

He was buried on Remembrance Day on November 11, 1920 along with soil from the country. The grave is covered with a large, black slab of Belgian marble with an inscription that in part reads: “They buried him among the kings because he had done good toward God and toward his house.”

And so, on that day across the pond, royalty with its centuries old traditions intact, carried them forth on the path paved with another sort of royal tradition. And that is the path lined with the armies of its men and women that have ensured for generations that those traditions may continue to thrive.

Here is a snippet of the lengthy Presidential Proclamation for Armed Force Day here in the United States, issued on May 20, 2022 by President Biden:

On Armed Forces Day, we share our unending appreciation for the proud patriots who answer the call to serve taking the sacred oath to defend our Constitution. The brave members of our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard and Reserve forces represent the best of our nation. Today and every day we honor their immeasurable service on behalf of our grateful Nation.

And, as I think of Armed Forces Day here in the United States, and the sacrifices of the men and women here who serve and have served, I can also perhaps take two meaningful excerpts from the wedding homily given at the wedding that day, and heard around the world, by the Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry who said:

 

We must discover the power of love, the power, the redemptive power of love. and when we discover that, we will be able to make of this old world, a new world.

Imagine governments and nations where love is the way – when  love is the way; unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive.

 

I believe that it is more than ironic that this homily, with its themes of ideal human love and its potential for unselfishness and self-sacrifice was given on Armed Forces Day.

It reflected for me, in many ways the powerful words of Winston Churchill remarking in his wartime speech on the Royal Air Force and their supreme efforts of sacrifice and valor in the Battle of Britain over the skies of England:

 

 “Never in the history of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

 

Yes, along with millions of viewers who watched this celebration of love that was telecast across media outlets around the world on May 19th, 2018, I watched along with them, but my heart was much more with that small bridal bouquet that rested at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.

 

But, please let us continue to make oral history a part of our children’s education.

Tell them the history of Armed Forces Day here in the United States.

It, too, is a love story worth the telling….and remembering!