Carol Swenson
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Armed Forces Day
Saturday, May 17, 2008
President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.
On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense.
Here’s to the men of the red, white and blue;
Whose patriot’s hearts burned high ...
To the women who served us on land and on sea,
Some even in the sky.
I’d like to say, "Thank you, that we’ll never know
The outcome if you had not gone,"
And to tell you, "I’ll never forget your deed,
As long as my life lingers on."
For, I was a child, when the great war came,
And you just a dozen years more.
Some of you fought on a distant beach.
Some died on a foreign shore.
I’d hate to forget those heroes of old,
From the 'War to end all wars'.
Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm
Proved that men fight evermore.
God, help us all when brave men say,
"Not today. Let’s just wait and see."
For, tyrants come in so many ways
And I’ve heard of complacency.
When integrity falls in the dust by the way,
When conviction fails to command,
When there’s no one to bugle or carry the flag,
What will become of our land?
So, here’s to the heroes and heroines true!
Here’s to the brave and the free!
With my hand on my chest as the flag passes by,
I remember what you did for me!!!
(Armed Forces Day Poem by © 2002 by Joan Clifton Costner)
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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