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Army Marks 234 Years of Service, Sacrifice
(June 13, 2009) |
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| WASHINGTON, June 12, 2009 – Citing the
organization’s long history of selfless service and
sacrifice, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III
helped to commemorate the Army’s 234th birthday today at a
Pentagon ceremony.
The U.S. Army officially celebrates its birthday June 14.
“This occasion marks the 234th year that ordinary men and
women have become extraordinary citizens by answering the
call of duty and placing the country in front of
themselves,” Lynn said to an audience of soldiers and other
servicemembers in the Pentagon courtyard. “I’m humbled by
this long tradition of service, reaching back even to the
founding of our nation.” |
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| Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., Col. Arthur Wittich (the oldest Soldier serving in the military district of Washington), Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, Pvt. Rex Vaughn (the youngest Soldier serving in the military district of Washington), and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston cut the Army's 234th birthday cake during a celebration at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2009. DoD photo by D. Myles Cullen
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The Army tradition is expressed in a
number of ways, he said, including in the actions and
service of individual families.
Lynn recognized the Simpson family of Tennessee, whose
generations of military service span nearly 100 years.
Simpson family members served in Mexico, during World War
II, in Vietnam and now in Afghanistan, he said.
“It’s this kind of service and dedication that’s the
hallmark of the United States Army,” he added.
Lynn also acknowledged the Army as the world’s most
formidable fighting force, and he credited family support as
the dynamic that makes the Army such a strong, dependable
organization. The Army couldn’t be the institution it is
without the families, he said.
“Our soldiers, of course, do not bear the burdens of combat
alone,” he continued. “When they sign up, they’re also
volunteering their families. Army families are a constant
source of support and inspiration, and in many ways, they’re
the reasons our soldiers continue to serve.”
Today’s commemoration and cake cutting marks the start of a
weeklong list of birthday activities all across the Army.
The Army will hold its annual birthday ball here tomorrow,
and on June 14, Army leadership will lay a wreath at the
Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Also,
individual Army posts will celebrate with 10-mile birthday
runs.
This year is Army Secretary Pete Geren’s final Army birthday
celebration as the service’s top official. It’s important,
he said, to take the time to reflect on the importance and
the impact the U.S. Army has had on the history of the
world.
“It’s important for an organization such as ours … to stop
and reflect on its proud history,” Geren said. “It’s
important to stop and think how different the history of the
United States [and] the history of the world would be
without the United States Army.”
Geren cited the importance of remembering the sacrifice made
by previous generations of soldiers and military members.
The battlefields may be different throughout time, he said,
but the sacrifice is the same.
“Reflect on those who fought in Desert Storm and … those
soldiers who stood all those years ago at Lexington and
Concord,” he said. “Reflect on that wife, that husband who’s
waiting home today for their loved ones to return, [because]
they are living the same experiences and emotions a wife was
living when her husband [or] her son faced down the British
troops at Lexington and Concord.
“As we enjoy this week and blow out those candles and sing
happy birthday,” he continued, “it’s so important to stop
and think about what our soldiers have done. Think about how
different today the world would be if it were not for the
soldiers and families of the United States Army.”
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By
Army SFC Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2009
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