INDIANAPOLIS–Armed Forces Day is Saturday, and even though the coronavirus pandemic has canceled some of the activities normally associated with it, Brig. Gen. (retired USAF) Stewart Goodwin, executive director of the Indiana War Memorials, says you can still let people who are serving know how important they are to you.

“When you see a young person and they’re in their uniform, just go up and say thank you, because there’s no words that can really adequately describe what that makes you feel like,” he said.

Goodwin said that Armed Forces Day was first celebrated during the Truman administration.

“The different branches, and you know how we are with the branches. We’re proud of being a sailor, soldier, Marine, Coast Guardsman, whatever. Each one of them had a day. Under Pres. Truman they decided to consolidate that and to honor all the branches on one day, which is always the third Saturday in May.”

Goodwin said that the festivities are generally at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, during one of the qualifications for the Indy 500, which has been postponed.

Goodwin said that the Memorials organization is working on several projects, including upgrades to the 9/11 memorial, which has been changed from the Indianapolis 9/11 Monument to the Indiana 9/11 Monument, which will include the addition of a pices of Indiana limestone.

“We have an 800 lb. piece of Indiana limestone that came from one of the walls of the Pentagon and it’s down in our basement and one day I was walking by it and it looks just like the shape of Indiana.”

Goodwin said they have raised about one third of the $500,000 necessary for the upgrades. He said he’s also involved in an effort to consolidate offices to put all benefits available to veterans in the state under one roof, in the original American Legion headquarters building at 777 Meridian St., in Indianapolis.

 

 

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