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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

Content Type
 Raising The Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

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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...
The Battle Of Mobile Bay | Walter Edgar's Journal
 - Episode 5 The C.S.S. Hunley | Walter Edgar's Journal

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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.
Montagu, Lord Charles Greville | South Carolina Public Radio Medal of Honor Recipients | South Carolina Public Radio

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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...
A Time To Fight, Part 6 - War In The Sand | South Carolinians In WW II
   - Episode 6 A Time to Fight, Part 5 5

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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...
A Time To Fight, Part 6 - War In The Sand | South Carolinians In WW II
   - Episode 6 A Time to Fight, Part 4 4

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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...
A Time To Fight, Part 6 - War In The Sand | South Carolinians In WW II
   - Episode 6 A Time to Fight, Part 1 1

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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...
The Way Home, Part 2 - The Divine Wind | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 2 The Way Home, Part 6 6

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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...
The Way Home, Part 6 - Future Generations | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Way Home, Part 5 5

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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...
The Way Home, Part 6 - Future Generations | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Way Home, Part 3 3

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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 6 - Future Generations | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Way Home, Part 4 4

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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 6 - Future Generations | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Way Home, Part 2 2

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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 6 - Future Generations | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Way Home, Part 1 1

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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 6 - The Rock | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Island War, Part 4 4

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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...
The Island War, Part 6 - The Rock | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Island War, Part 3 3

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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...
 The Island War, Part 6 6

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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...
The Island War, Part 6 - The Rock | South Carolinians in WW II
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The Island War, Part 5
Episode 5
With Japan's navy in ruins, America unleashed its air forces. Our veterans describe their experiences, their training, and the aircraft they flew.
The Island War, Part 6 - The Rock | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 6 The Island War, Part 1 1

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The Island War, Part 1
Episode 1
Veterans recall the brutality of war with the Japanese, their allegiance to their emperor, the tropical heat, the jungle, the danger of the rocky reefs, and the threat of malaria, for which they took...
The Island War, Part 6 - The Rock | South Carolinians in WW II
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The Island War, Part 2
Episode 2
Women discuss serving in the WAVES, the SPARS, the WACS, the WAFS, and the WASPS. All the services needed women during this period. Our women veterans remember many of the details of their service...
The Rising Sun, Part 7 - The First Blow, Guadalcanal | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 7 The Rising Sun, Part 4 4

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The Rising Sun, Part 4
Episode 4
Fritz Hamer, military historian, explains that Japan was an industrial power, but it needed the resources to maintain it. Japan's purpose was to nullify the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, then destroy the...
The Rising Sun, Part 7 - The First Blow, Guadalcanal | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 7 The Rising Sun, Part 5 5

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The Rising Sun, Part 5
Episode 5
Midway Island was a U.S. outpost located about a thousand miles west of Hawaii. Prior to World War II, it was basically a weather station with some U.S. Naval groups on it to protect it. The Japanese...