National celebration day for armed forces and veterans

A NEW Armed Forces Day will be held on 27 June each year to honour all members of the services past and present, ministers announced today.

The event - to take place on the current Veterans Day - is designed to enhance respect for the Army, Navy and Air Force and will include parades across the country.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "It is not just aimed at veterans, nor is it primarily for recruiting. It is an occasion for the nation to celebrate the forces and show their appreciation for what they do. We want to show respect for those who have served, past and present."

The scheme was announced today by Kevan Jones MP, the parliamentary under-secretary of defence in charge of veterans' affairs. He unveiled the plans from the decks of HMS Gannet in Chatham.

The move is in line with a call for more public recognition and appreciation of the Army, made by General Sir Richard Dannatt when he took over as head of the service in 2006. He said he would like to see more soldiers wearing their uniforms in public - something which had been restricted from the onset of the terrorist threat from the IRA as the troubles escalated in 1969.

He also called for parades so communities could see their soldiers and show their appreciation. This week, in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Reform, Sir Richard said he was pleased and "grateful" for the public response to his call.

"Just recently the 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlands, returning from a tough tour in Afghanistan, had a parade and civic reception in their traditional recruiting centre at Stirling, but also were asked to parade through Canterbury, where they are currently based."

The idea of a national Armed Forces Day was one of the main proposals from an inquiry into support for the services, headed by Quentin Davies, a former Tory MP and now minister for procurement at the MoD. The report was commissioned by Gordon Brown in his first few days as Prime Minister.

The day will see commemorations and events across the country with displays by all three services. It was hinted that Premier League football clubs could be involved, after a parade of honour around Aston Villa's pitch last year provoked a positive response.

Events could also include announcements in school assemblies and military open days.

Last year the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, said the day could help stoke support for veterans with long-term mental difficulties.

He also announced a series of measures to get dedicated GP attention and care for veterans with long-term illnesses.

Sir Jock told the Standard: "The crucial period is about 13 years out. Then they [veterans] become difficult to trace; they go below the radar of health care. We are trying to find ways of picking them up."