Country Marks Armed Forces Day

Memorial Day may be more than a week away, but today is also a day to honor the sacrifices of those who have served and continue to serve in uniform.

Sixty-two years ago, in the wake of World War II, then-Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson established the third Saturday in May to honor the armed forces of the Army, Navy, Air Force Marines. It was the same year those branches came together under the auspices of the Department of Defense.

Back then, its purpose was to honor those who served in the two world wars the country had found in the first half of the 20th century.

Today those veterans have essentially disappeared. The last World War I veteran recently died in Australia, and there are increasingly few World War II veterans left today.

But they have been replaced with a new generation of veterans from the conflicts in the Middle East over the past two decades who join veterans of the Korean and the Viet Nam wars.

“For more than six decades we have been celebrating Armed Forces Day and honoring the men and women in uniform who go to extraordinary measures to protect the freedoms we enjoy," said Gov. Dannel Malloy.  

"Like the wars we have fought before, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a toll on Connecticut’s brave soldiers and their families," he said.  

"As we celebrate our military and the many people in uniform who make incredible sacrifices for our freedoms, we must also remember those who are no longer with us," he said.  "We are grateful for the work being done by the men and women of our armed forces and we thank our soldiers and our veterans for their dedicated service to the state and to the country.”