ARMED
FORCES
DAY
The Armed Forces observed their second anni
versary on May 19th, with our Army, Navy, Air
Force, and Marine Corps teamed for the defense
of freedom this year as never before in history.
This is a winning team. It preserves and per
petuates the long tradition of America’s Armed
forces that defeat can never be admitted because
defeat means an end of the freedom we have come
to take almost for granted.
It was only fitting that this nation honor these
four arms of its military power on Armed Forces
Day, when for nearly a year these fighting men
have been actively engaged in a stand against ag
gression on behalf of the United Nations. For the
first time since the consolidation of the Services,
FREEDOM BEIL
mr^mY
they are engaged in combat, defending on foreign
fields, in distant waters and skies, the freedom all
Americans hold dearer than life itself.
The purpose of Armed Forces Day, conceived
and inaugurated in 1950, is to familiarize Ameri
cans with the state of national defense and the
organization of the Armed Forces. In this year of
tension and dangers, when men are striving to
better the state of national defense, and when the
Armed Forces are expanding, this is doubly im
portant.
On Armed Forces Day, loyal Americans dedi
cated themselves to a deeper knowledge of the
Armed Forces, and to support and honor the men
and women of these forces. Americans who know
their "defenders of freedom,” and who have
watched with anguish and pride the great fight
they have made, honored them on May 19th.
On this Armed Forces Day, 1951 your United
States Army is bearing a major burden of the
stand against aggression. Men of your Army are
doing this task well, are leaving firmly impressed
on the history of the free world the mark of a
man—the American combat soldier.
Naval power is an important element of Ameri
ca’s armed strength. On and under the seas, and
in the air above the seas, the Navy maintains a
vigilant guard against all who might seek to chal
lenge our country’s free way of life.
One of the many vital tasks with which the
United States Air Force is charged is to aid in the
prevention of war by means of a strategic striking
force in being. If war should come in spite of our
efforts, it would also prove an important factor in
helping to win the victory. The Air Force also
gives major consideration to the air defense of
the United States, tactical support of ground
forces, and air transport for personnel and sup-
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