In a brief ceremony Tuesday, community members, county staff and county officials gathered at the War Memorial in Freedom Park, near the McCoart Government Center, for a joint commemoration of Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, which both fall in May.
Prince William Chairman Corey A. Stewart spoke at the ceremony and said that Armed Forces Day was first observed in 1950 following the creation of the Department of Defense, which put all branches of the armed forces under one department. The purpose of Armed Forces Day was to establish a day to thank military members for their service. Memorial Day remembers those armed forces members who died in service to the country.