Photo by Bill Pierce, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
Brig. Gen. Anthony Digiacomo (left), commander of Special Troops Command (Provisional), oversees Cpl. Christina Moore (center), a human resources specialist with Joint Force Headquarters-Ohio, and retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 William “Jerry” Wilson making the first cut in the cake during a 244th Army birthday celebration June 14, 2019, at the Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. In a long-standing military tradition, those present at a ceremony with the greatest years of service (Wilson) and fewest years of service (Moore) assisted the honored guest (Digiacomo) with cutting the cake.
Ohio National Guard throws birthday party for U.S. Army
Story by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Reynolds, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
COLUMBUS, Ohio (06/14/19)
The Ohio National Guard hosted a ceremony to celebrate the 244th birthday of the U.S. Army June 14 at the Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory.
Brig. Gen. Anthony DiGiacomo, commander of Special Troops Command (Provisional), presided over the ceremony, which included remarks highlighting the U.S. Army, an educational display from the Ohio Army National Guard Historical Collections and an official cake-cutting.
In a long-standing Army tradition, the attendees with the greatest and fewest years of military service assisted the presiding officer with cutting the cake. Cpl. Christina Moore, a human resources specialist with Joint Force Headquarters-Ohio, and retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 William “Jerry” Wilson made the first cut.
“Celebrating the Army’s birthday is a link to the Army’s history,” DiGiacomo said. “The importance lies in that without history we are lost, and without history we make mistakes that we shouldn’t make going forward. The Army’s birthday and celebrating it every year ties us to history and ties us to learn from the Army’s experience.”
The U.S. Army’s history began on June 14, 1775, and this year’s theme reflected on the call to service on D-Day. The invasion of the beaches in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, during World War II is one of the most notable military battles, and has been written about in books and replicated in films for further generations to value and understand.
Wilson said he recalls hearing the radio news on such WWII battles while growing up in the 1940s. “I always knew there were uniforms out there. I had a cousin in the service who gave me a military hat and I wore that hat to bed every night when I was a kid. Then I joined the Army in 1948 and I wore that uniform for 43 years. I know quite a few people that paid the price for our freedom,” he said.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Reynolds, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
Brig. Gen Anthony Digiacomo, commander Special Troops Command (Provisional), speaks to attendees at the Ohio National Guard's celebration of the Army’s 244th birthday June 14, 2019, at Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. “Celebrating the Army’s birthday is a link to the Army’s history,” said DiGiacomo, who presided over the ceremony. “The importance lies in that without history we are lost, and without history we make mistakes that we shouldn’t make going forward. The Army’s birthday and celebrating it every year ties us to history and ties us to learn from the Army’s experience.”