Mike Gracia

Ed Donahue

T. E. Lawrence in 1900

    Thomas Edward Lawrence (August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935)

    T. E. Lawrence was a British Army officer known for his liaison role 
during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and the Arab Revolt against 
Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–1918. The extent and variety of his 
activities and associations, and his vivid description of them in writing,
earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia, a title which 
was used for the 1962 film (Lawrence of Arabia) based on his World
War I activities starring Peter O’Toole. Lawrence was fatally injured
in a motorbike crash in Dorset.

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.

Ross Simpson