SDI Launches 2023 Military Events Calendar
2023 marks the 82nd Birthday of the United Service Organizations (USO). “Since 1941, the USO has been the nation’s leading organization to serve the men and women in the U.S. military, and their families, throughout their time in uniform. From the moment they join, through their assignments and deployments, and as they transition back to […]
February 19, 2023 marks the 78th Anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. “Located roughly half way between Saipan and Tokyo, and directly under the flight path of B-29 Superfortress bombers headed to Japan, the island of Iwo Jima was a Japanese stronghold of crucial strategic importance and could not be bypassed. Not only would Iwo Jima […]
February 19, 2023 marks the 82nd birthday of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. “The Coast Guard Reserve was established by the passage of the Coast Guard reserve and Auxiliary Act of February 19, 1941. That act also established the Coast Guard Auxiliary under its present name (the Auxiliary had originally been called the Coast […]
February 28, 2023 marks the 32nd Anniversary of the End of the Gulf War. “On August 2, 1990, a force of one hundred thousand Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and overran the country in a matter of hours. The invasion of Kuwait led to a United Nations Security Council embargo and sanctions on Iraq and a […]
March 3, 2023 marks the 108th Birthday of the United States Navy Reserve. Learn more: https://allhands.navy.mil/Stories/Display-Story/Article/1840644/history-of-the-navy-reserve/
March 5, 2023 marks the 81st Birthday of the Navy Seabees. Learn more: https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/03/03/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-your-seabees/ https://americangimuseum.org/seabee-birthday/
March 7, 2023 marks the 142nd Anniversary of the Establishment of the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS. Learn more: https://www.cgscfoundation.org/about/the-college/
March 15, 2023 marks the 103rd Birthday of the American Legion. “March 15, the designated birthday of The American Legion, is the day in 1919 when the first American Legion caucus, held by members of the American Expeditionary Force, convened in Paris. Much as the birthday of the United States is celebrated on July 4 […]
March 20, 2023 marks the 20 years since the Start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein.” https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war Learn more: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/middle-east/operation-iraqi-freedom.html
April 6, 2023 marks the 105th Anniversary of the United States’ Entry into World War I. "Congress declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, formally bringing the United States into World War I, a conflict that had been ongoing for nearly three years. When the war began in 1914—pitting the Allied powers of France, […]
April 12, 2023 marks the 162nd Anniversary of the Start of the Civil War. “At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. Less than 34 hours later, Union forces surrendered. Traditionally, this event has been used to mark the beginning of the Civil War.” https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_War_Begins.htm […]
April 14, 2023 marks the 75th Birthday of the United States Air Force Reserve. “The Air Force Reserve was created as a separate component on April 14, 1948, when the Army Air Corps Reserve was transferred to the Air Force. The Air Force Reserve lineage dates back over 100 years to when Reserve Airpower was […]
April 23, 2023 marks the 115th Birthday of the United States Army Reserve. "What began in 1908 as a small corps of medical professionals held in readiness for duty is today the Army’s global operational reserve force, with a presence in all 50 states, five U.S. Territories and 20 Time Zones across the globe." https://www.usar.army.mil/ArmyReserveBirthday/
April 25, 2023 marks the 177th Anniversary of the Mexican-American War. Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/texas-annexation https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/mexican-american-war
April 30, 2023 marks the 48th Anniversary of the End of the Vietnam War. Learn more: https://www.vvmf.org/ https://armyhistory.org/category/army-history-center/war-cat-91/ https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/Research-Tools-Facts-and-Figures/Chronologies-of-the-Marine-Corps/Vietnam-War-1962-1975/ https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/vietnam-war/vietnam-war0.html https://www.vietnamwar50th.com/assets/1/7/United_States_Airforce_in_Vietnam.pdf
May 8, 2023 marks the 78th Anniversary of the End of World War II in Europe, also known as Victory in Europe Day (or V-E Day). Learn more: https://www.defense.gov/Experience/VE-Day/ https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe
May 9, 2023 marks the 158th Anniversary of the End of the Civil War. Learn more: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/galleries/end-civil-war-detail https://armyhistory.org/category/army-history-center/war-cat-4/
The Battle of Midway Celebration Dinner is held every June. The date for 2023 has not yet been announced. Please check the Battle of Midway Celebration website (link below) for updates as they become available. http://bomcommemoration.org/ Learn more: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-midway https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1942/midway.html https://www.immf-midway.com/index.html
June 6, 2023 marks the 79th Anniversary of D-Day. "It is hard to conceive the epic scope of this decisive battle that foreshadowed the end of Hitlers dream of Nazi domination. Overlord was the largest air, land, and sea operation undertaken before or since June 6, 1944." https://www.dday.org/overview/ Learn more: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/d-day https://www.army.mil/d-day/history.html https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/d-day.html https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1789416/operation-overlord-d-day/
June 14, 2023 marks the 248th Birthday of the United States Army. Learn more: https://history.army.mil/html/faq/birth.html https://armyhistory.org/army-history-center/ https://www.thenmusa.org/
"In 1893, the Society of Colonial Dames succeeded in getting a resolution passed to have the flag displayed on all of the city’s public buildings. Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin and the president of the Colonial Dames of Pennsylvania, that same year tried to get the city to call June 14 […]
June 23, 2023 marks the 84th Birthday of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. “When the Coast Guard “Reserve” was authorized by act of Congress on June 23, 1939, the Coast Guard was given a legislative mandate to use civilian volunteers to promote safety on and over the high seas and the nation’s navigable waters. […]
June 25, 2023 marks the 73rd Anniversary of the Start of the Korean War. “After five years of simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula, the Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when the Northern Korean People’s Army invaded South Korea in a coordinated general attack at several strategic points along the 38th parallel, the […]
June 26, 2023 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, an allied humanitarian aid response to the Soviet Union’s land and sea blockade of West Germany at the end of WWII, and which led to the organization of NATO. https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Inside-DOD/Blog/Article/2062719/the-berlin-airlift-what-it-was-its-importance-in-the-cold-war/ https://www.nato.int/cps/fr/natohq/declassified_156163.htm
"Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 by the Continental Congress declaring that the thirteen American colonies were no longer part of the British Empire but now the United States of America." https://www.govinfo.gov/features/independence-day Learn more: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/july-04/
July 27, 2023 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. Learn more: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/armistice-ends-the-korean-war
July 29, 2023 marks the 248th Birthday of the United States Army Chaplain Corps. “The U.S. Army Chaplain Corps is one of the oldest and smallest branches of the Army. The Chaplain Corps dates back to 29 July 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized one chaplain for each regiment of the Continental Army, with pay […]
August 2, 2023 marks the 33rd Anniversary of the start of the Gulf War. “When Saddam Hussein invaded his small, oil-rich neighbor in the summer of 1990, the Department faced its first full-scale post-Cold War international crisis. Bush’s foreign policy team forged an unprecedented international coalition consisting of the NATO allies and the Middle Eastern […]
August 4, 2023 marks the 233rd Birthday of the United States Coast Guard. “The Coast Guard is one of the oldest organizations of the federal government. Established in 1790, the Coast Guard served as the nation’s only armed force on the sea until Congress launched the Navy Department eight years later. Since then, the Coast […]
August 10, 2023 marks the 74th Birthday of the United States Department of Defense. Learn more: https://www.defense.gov/
Spirit of ’45 Day, passed unanimously by the U.S. Congress in 2010, honors America’s “Greatest Generation” and is observed on the second weekend in August, coinciding with the anniversary of August 14, 1945, the day on which President Truman declared the end of WWII. “Join us as we celebrate the Spirit of shared sacrifice, service, […]
August 25, 2023 marks the 102nd Anniversary of the US-German Peace Treaty. Learn more: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/paris-peace
August 29, 2023 marks the 108th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Learn more: https://www.marineheritage.org/ https://www.marforres.marines.mil/ https://americangimuseum.org/marine-corps-reserves-birthday/
August 31, 2023 marks the 13th Anniversary of the End of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On August 31, 2010, President Barack Obama declared the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Learn more: https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/military/war-in-iraq.html https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war
September 2, 2023 marks the 78th Anniversary of the End of World War II, also referred to as Victory Over Japan Day, or V-J Day. “On September 2, 1945, formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri, designating the day as the official Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day).” https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/75th-anniversary-end-world-war-ii Learn more: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/photos
This year marks the 22nd Anniversary of the Terrorist Attack on the U.S. “September 11th is Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. On this day Americans across the country are called to volunteer in their local communities in tribute to the individuals lost and injured in the attacks, first responders, and […]
September 18, 2023 marks the 76th Birthday of both the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard. “The official birth date of the Air National Guard as a reserve component of the Air Force is September 18, 1947. On this date, the first Secretary of the Air Force was sworn in to office […]
October 7, 2023 marks the 22nd Anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom. Learn more: http://www.ndswm.org/ https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-led-attack-on-afghanistan-begins
October 13, 2023 marks the 248th Birthday of the United States Navy. “A 13 October 1775 resolution of the Continental Congress established what is now the United States Navy with ‘a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible despatch, for […]
“Dedicated to the more than 3 million women who have served our country since the American Revolution, the Military Women’s Memorial is located at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery and is the nation’s only major national memorial to honor all women who have defended the nation—from the Revolution to the present.” https://womensmemorial.org/index.php/about/
November 10, 2023 marks the 17th Birthday of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. "The National Museum of the Marine Corps is a lasting tribute to U.S. Marines--past, present, and future. Situated on a 135-acre site adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, and under the command of Marine Corps University, the Museum's soaring […]
November 10, 2023 marks the 248th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. “On 10 November 1775, the Second Continental Congress resolved to raise two battalions of Marines. Congress commissioned thirty-one year old Samuel Nicholas, a well-known Philadelphian, as captain of the fledgling force of Continental Marines. From Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Nicholas raised two […]
November 11, 2023 marks the 105th Anniversary of the End of World War I, Armistice Day. “World War I – known at the time as ‘The Great War’ – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting […]
November 11, 2023 marks the 102nd Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. “The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is Arlington National Cemetery’s most iconic memorial. The neoclassical, white marble sarcophagus stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, D.C. Since 1921, it has provided a final resting place for one of […]
November 11, 2023 marks the Third Anniversary of the Opening of the National Museum of the United States Army. “The National Museum of the United States Army celebrates over 245 years of Army history and honors our nation’s soldiers–past, present and future–the regular Army, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard.” https://www.thenmusa.org/ Learn more: […]
November 27, 2023 marks the 122nd Anniversary of the Establishment of the Army War College. “The US Army War College educates and develops leaders for service at the strategic level while advancing knowledge in the global application of Landpower.” https://www.armywarcollege.edu/overview.cfm Learn more: https://usawc.org/
December 13, 2023 marks the 387th Birthday of what is now the United States National Guard. “On this date in 1636, the first militia regiments in North America were organized in Massachusetts. Based upon an order of the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s General Court, the colony’s militia was organized into three permanent regiments to better defend […]
December 15, 2023 marks the 12th Anniversary of the End of the Iraq War. Learn more: https://www.gwotmemorialfoundation.org/ https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-declares-end-to-iraq-war
December 20, 2023 marks the fourth birthday of the United States Space Force. “On December 20, 2019, the United States Space Force (USSF) became the sixth branch of the Armed Forces. The Space Force was established within the Department of the Air Force (DAF) with the enactment of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).” […]
January 17, 2023 marks the 32nd Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, the 42-day, US-led military operation set in motion by President George H.W. Bush to push Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, in response to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of the region the August prior. Learn more: https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Features/story/Article/1728715/desert-storm-a-look-back/ https://www.britannica.com/event/Persian-Gulf-War https://armyhistory.org/category/army-history-center/war-cat-92/ http://www.ndswm.org/