National Airborne Day
August 16 · Level 10 · #119 of 2238
National Airborne Day honours America's airborne forces and their veterans. It recognises the service of troops trained to reach operations by air and remembers the part airborne units have played in the country's military history.
How it is celebrated: veterans gather for reunions, military museums host commemorative events and communities hold remembrance ceremonies. Some celebrations also feature demonstration parachute jumps.
The date recalls the US Army Parachute Test Platoon's first official jump on 16 August 1940. President George W. Bush proclaimed National Airborne Day in 2002, linking the observance to that early experiment.