Photo By Staff Sgt. Tryphena Mayhugh | U.S. Army Master Sgt. Ryan Munroe, 1st Special Forces Group paratrooper, and his son...... read more read more
Children’s laughter and the smell of fair food intermingled in the crisp, clear air above the sea of people attending the annual Armed Forces Day event May 19 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).
Armed Forces Day is held the third Saturday in May each year and is a day to pay tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces.
“In the spirit of this holiday, each year Joint Base Lewis-McChord hosts a celebration in order to bring together the local community with our Soldiers and Airmen for a day of festivities strengthening a long standing community partnership,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Moore, Air Force planner for Armed Forces Day and 62nd Operational Support Squadron Current Operations flight commander. “It is a day that allows us to pause and recognize what our Soldiers and Airmen do every day and to say thank you for continuing to choose to serve this great nation.”
McChord Filed hosted the event for the first time since combining with Fort Lewis to create JBLM in 2010. Moving the festivities to McChord allowed the event to grow for the public to include static displays of aircraft and vehicles.
“I am incredibly proud that this year's Armed Forces day is being hosted at McChord field,” Moore said. “We are very proud of our installation and our amazing team of Airmen, but more importantly, we are proud of the unparalleled capabilities the joint base gives our nation. The capabilities brought to bear by Ft. Lewis and McChord Field individually are truly awesome, but together we are able to project power in service to our nation unmatched by any other force in the world.”
Approximately 15,000 people attended Armed Forces Day to see what life is like for members of the Armed Forces stationed at JBLM.
Attendees were able to get up close and personal to military aircraft and vehicles at static displays of a C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Super Hercules, UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache and Interim Armed Vehicle Stryker.
Other activities included historical reenactments, a petting zoo, bouncy castles, a carnival, and fair food.
“I hope that the Airmen, Soldiers, and the public have fun, but I hope that in the process they also walk away with a broader understanding of the joint mission we execute every day and how much we appreciate them.
Almost 70 years ago, through the effort of President Harry S. Truman, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of Armed Forces Day on August 31, 1949, to replace the separate Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps Days. This combining into a single celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense.
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2018 17:45 |
| Story ID: | 278910 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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