Military Observances

Find out the different military observances and the differences between each day.

Armed Forces Day. Observed the third Saturday in May, this day is for all who currently serve and all who have served, both active and former, in the reserves, National Guard or on active duty, including the Coast Guard. It replaced separate days that honored various branches of the military (Army, Air Force and Navy).

Veterans Day. Celebrated annually on November 11, this day of observance is for all living and deceased who have served in the military.

Memorial Day. Celebrated annually on the last Monday in May, this day of observance is for all who died while serving

National Guard Birthday Celebrated December 13, honors all citizen-soldiers who have civilian jobs but are available to provide support and protection for the states’ civilians. They may be called for military operations at a national level.

Within this Collection

Identifying The Crew | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

Grades

Identifying The Crew | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 8

Another challenge faced during the Hunley investigation was identifying the members of the crew. Determining who was who among the crew proved difficult due to lack of Confederate records. Dr. Maria...

Audio

Grades

A Giant Puzzle | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 1

In this first segment on the Confederate submarine C.S.S. Hunley, Walter Edgar and Senator Glenn McConnell discuss how finding the submarine disproved all pre-conceived notions about its design...

Forensic Investigation of the Crew | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

Grades

Forensic Investigation of the Crew | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 6

Dr. Jacobsen talks about the forensic investigation of the Hunley’s crew members, and analyzes the effects of sediment helping preserve their remains. The Hunley project has yielded both scientific...

A Historic Time Capsule | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

Grades

A Historic Time Capsule | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 3

The Hunley is described as “a historic time capsule.” Sen. Glenn McConnell discusses using the clues found in the Hunley to piece together what happened the night it sank the U.S.S. Housatonic.

Excavating The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

Grades

Excavating The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 5

Dr. Maria Jacobsen, the senior archaeologist on the Hunley project, discusses the excavation process of Hunley.

Raising The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

Grades

Raising The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 2

Senator Glenn McConnell discusses raising the Hunley. Some of the challenges faced were maritime legal issues, and how the submarine was going to be lifted off of the ocean floor. Preserving the...

Inside The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

Grades

Inside The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 6

What must it have been like to be a crew member on board the C.S.S. Hunley? Dr. Mark Smith opines.

The C.S.S. Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

Grades

The C.S.S. Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

Episode 6

Dr. Symonds addresses the importance of the C.S.S. Hunley: History’s first operational submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat, the U.S.S. Housatonic.

Doolittle Raiders | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

Grades

6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

Doolittle Raiders | South Carolina Public Radio

"D" is for Doolittle Raiders

Medal of Honor Recipients | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

Grades

6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

Medal of Honor Recipients | South Carolina Public Radio

"M" is for Medal of Honor Recipients. Approved by Congress in 1862, the Medal of Honor is America's highest award for military valor. The first native son to receive the award was Ernest A. Garlington...

Video

Grades

A Time to Fight, Part 5

Episode 5

The story of the Doolittle Raiders is told, including.that of Bill Farrow, one of three top students in a nationwide search of colleges and universities, chosen to receive pilot's training at...

Video

Grades

A Time to Fight, Part 4

Episode 4

In June of 1940, Camp Jackson became a permanent military installation and its name was changed to Fort Jackson. Individuals recall various aspects of the training they received there and the...

Video

Grades

A Time to Fight, Part 2

Episode 2

The remembrances of our heroes continue.

Video

Grades

5
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

A Time to Fight, Part 1

Episode 1

This episode follows our veterans from their childhoods to the attack on Pearl Harbor and following through to the first battles of the war in North Africa, Italy and Sicily. Additional sections...

Video

Grades

9
10
11
12
Higher Education

The Way Home, Part 6

Episode 6

Veterans provide advice to future generations, and reflect on the responsibilities that come with freedom, and their wishes for a world without war. They remember those who didn't survive, and they...

Video

Grades

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

The Way Home, Part 5

Episode 5

On August 11, 1945, the Emperor of Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration, which specified the unconditional surrender of Japan. The war was over, the Americans rejoiced, and the troops headed home...

Video

Grades

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

The Way Home, Part 3

Episode 3

Okinawa was the final Japanese island before the mainland. It would be the largest amphibious invasion in history. The Americans had to control the air and the water. The orders came that the...

The Way Home, Part 5 - Going Home | South Carolinians in WW II
- Episode 5 The Way Home, Part 4 4

Video

Grades

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

The Way Home, Part 4

Episode 4

Our veterans discuss the era in which the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their recollections of this time..

The Way Home, Part 5 - Going Home | South Carolinians in WW II
- Episode 5 The Way Home, Part 2 2

Video

Grades

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

The Way Home, Part 2

Episode 2

With its navy destroyed, the Japanese have come to recognize that their last line of defense is through suicide attacks on American ships. From the American ships, the kamikazes looked like a swarm of...

The Way Home, Part 5 - Going Home | South Carolinians in WW II
- Episode 5 The Way Home, Part 1 1

Video

Grades

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Higher Education

The Way Home, Part 1

Episode 1

This segment focuses on the racial discrimination that existed during World War II and how it affected those who served their country. The military was segregated. There were African Americans from...

The Island War, Part 3 - Landing in the Philippines | South Carolinians in WW II
- Episode 3 The Island War, Part 4 4

Video

Grades

The Island War, Part 4

Episode 4

As U.S. troops captured island after island, Japan felt the war slipping away. At Leyte Gulf, Japan lost its navy. In the Philippines, it lost its footing. MacArthur captured the world stage and the...

Video

Grades

The Island War, Part 3

Episode 3

Veterans recall Leyte Island in the Philippines and describe their experiences there in detail. They also provide reflections on the starving Philippine children, as well as adults, and they recall...

Video

Grades

The Island War, Part 6

Episode 6

One of our veterans recalls the bombing of Iwo Jima, and going below to his quarters to get a little sleep. He opened his Bible and it fell open to the 91st Psalm, which he reads. Our veterans discuss...