Surname Saturday - Armed Forces Day May 17, 2014

Editor's note: Today's post was written by Sandra Gardner-Benward

         A Salute to Armed Forces Day May 17, 2014

Just a little history: 

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

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.

The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense. First Observed on 20 May 1950, the day created on 31 August 1949, to honor Americans serving in the five US military branches - US Army, US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Air Force and US Coast Guard. - following the consolidation of the military services in the US Department of Defense. 

In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. If falls near the end of Armed Forces Week, which begins on the second Saturday of May and ends on the third Sunday of May.

A Tribute to a Veteran: 
My Mother: Mary Jane LITTLE, just graduating from Nursing School in Buffalo General Hospital in 1941 and wondering what the world had in store for her. This sheltered young woman, bright eyed and full of energy and positive thoughts will be out on her own now with World War II looming just around the corner

Soon after Mary Jane enlisted as a 2nd Lt in the US Army Nursing Corp. She received her papers for parts unknown (Africa, Italy and France) With lots of adventures - some good and some not so good - she made it home in tack. She married, and began a life as an Army wife, living quite a bit in Europe, began a family, and then got back to nursing when they finally arrived in Daly City, California. 

She was assigned as a 2nd Lt in the Army Nursing Corp. Her first assignment was to Ft George Meade MD, Maryland with temporary duty as Reserve Nurse at the Station Hospital.... 

Promoted to a 1st Lt still in the Army Nurse Corp, 23rd General Hospital, assigned to the European Theater (Africa, France, Italy). She honorably served in active Federal Service in the Army of the United States from 25 September 1942 to 10 December 1945. 
                     Thank you for your service 

My father, John Patterson GARDNER Jr. opened up this account for my mother at the Women's Memorial in Arlington Cemetery, Washington DC.  Looks like it could use an update and a little more information. (This is on my to-do list) This is an amazing place if you ever get a chance to visit. If any woman you are associated with was in service during WWII see if you can get their story and put them into the database. They should ALL be remembered.

 

Here we are in the lobby of the Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo, New York (1999). We are looking through all the displays and found this that shows all the nurses that served their country that graduated from this facility.........  I am of course pointing out my mothers name.
                                                                    M. LITTLE,  R. N.

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