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

First observed on 20 May 1950, the day was created on 31 August 1949,
to honor Americans serving in the military. It followed the consolidation
of the military services in the U.S. Department of Defense. It was
originally intended to replace the separate Army-, Navy-, Air Force-,
Marine Corps- and Coast Guard Days, but the separate days are still
observed, especially within the respective services.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, 
receptions and air shows.

                  Phil Silvers (May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985)

Silvers played the role of a military con man Sergeant Bilko on CBS-TV’s
sitcom The Phil Silvers Show (1955-1959). He began his entertainment
career at age eleven, singing in local theaters whenever projectors would
break. Phil Silvers has been called ‘The King of Chutzpah’.

     
       1955

USS Saratoga (CVA 60) was commissioned April 14, 1956

The USS Saratoga, the legendary aircraft carrier that played a key role in the
Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam and Gulf wars, is destined for dismantling after
the Navy paid one penny to a Texas firm to recycle the 81,101-ton behemoth.

The once-mighty vessel is the second of three conventionally-powered carriers
to set to sail to the scrapyard, following another one-cent deal involving the
Forrestal in October. ESCO Marine, of Brownsville, will pay to tow, dismantle 
and recycle the ship, which was decommissioned in 1994 after more than 38
years of service. Efforts to spare the ship failed, as they did with the Forrestal
last year.

Donald Jay "Don" Rickles is a stand-up comedian and actor who was  
a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Rickles remains very active on the stand-up comedy scene and has
no plans to retire, as he recently stated in an interview. "I’m in good
health. I’m working better than I ever have. The audiences are great.
Why should I retire?

1970