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. Since all the branches of the Armed Forces now fell under the Department of Defense, a combined day of recognition was established.This Saturday May 16, 2009 marks the 59th anniversary of Armed Forces Day. The establishment of this holiday was led by President Truman (himself a Veteran of WWI) to give citizens of the United States the opportunity to recognize and thank servicemembers for their patriotic service to our nation. In a speech announcing the formation of the day, President Truman said:

"praised the work of the military services at home and across the seas, it is vital to the security of the nation and to the establishment of a desirable peace."

The first observance of Armed Forces Day was on May 20, 1950. Every year since then, on the third Saturday in May the nation has come together to honor all the men and women who have served in uniform both in times of war and in times of peace.

This Armed Forces Day comes as the United States has several thousand troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the globe. We have recently been reminded about the stress and hardship that our servicemembers endure while deployed. The shooting at Camp Liberty in Iraq underscores the need to evaluate how troops are deployed and how they are taken care while in harms way. While I am angered at the shooter for killing five of his comrades, I can not help but also feel sympathy for him. How many consecutive deployments should servicemembers have to be subject to? My heart goes out to the families of the victims - it is one thing to have a family member deployed to a combat zone and quite another to have a family member killed without reason by a fellow American soldier.

Armed Forces Day is a day to honor and thank those who stand on the front lines to defend the ideals and values of the United States - including my freedom to write this blog. Often times we take for granted our fellow citizens who volunteer to be a member of the Armed Forces. We sometimes forget that the foundations of this nation would not have been forged were it not for ordinary citizens taking up arms against the tyranny of the British Empire during the American Revolution. We forget that the westward expansion of the United States was secured by troops stationed at various outposts on the frontier lands. We shall never forget the oppression of Europe under Fascism and Nazism that was defeated by American leadership in WWI and WWII. The end of the Cold War. American servicemembers have been there and they will always be there to defend what is just and right. How often do we take the time to thank them? Do we show them appreciation, despite what our views may be, for the work they are asked to do by their Commander In Chief? How many of us would be willing to take up arms in defense of what this Nation has and continues to represent - a beacon of Freedom unmatched anywhere.

I am not naive enough to think that the United States is without flaws - there are several. But what nation or individual is flawless? This Armed Forces Day we can honor the spirit of our all volunteer armed services and volunteer in our communities. To heal the wounds of our Nation we need to start at the grassroots. Above all, on this Armed Forces Day - find a way to thank the troops! Show them the support and respect they have earned and deserve.