Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 16

Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. Unlike Veterans Day (previously observed as Armistice Day - the end of World War I), which honors those who wore the military uniform of our nation at war, and unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who died in war in the service of our nation, Armed Forces Day 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.

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 in 1947.