Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day2026 · Date · History
ARMAD was founded by Emery McClendon in 2003. Contemporary ARMAD references place the annual event on the Saturday of U.S. Memorial Day weekend.
About Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day
Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day (ARMAD) is held on the Saturday of U.S. Memorial Day weekend as an amateur-radio event that gives communities a way to send live messages of appreciation to military members, veterans and their families.
Emery McClendon of Fort Wayne, Indiana is the documented founder behind the initiative.
Why Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day matters
ARMAD uses amateur radio as a community-participation medium rather than treating appreciation as a purely online or ceremonial message.
Its source history contains two useful dates: ARRL describes McClendon’s starting efforts in 2003, while contemporaneous event evidence places the first public ARMAD in May 2004.
History of Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day
ARRL later recognized Emery McClendon for efforts starting ARMAD in 2003.
QST’s June 2004 special-events listing records Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day in Fort Wayne for May 29, 2004.
A February 2005 Defense Department story calls the May 28, 2005 event the second annual ARMAD and says McClendon founded and established the event in Fort Wayne almost a year earlier.
Together, the sources support a 2003 initiative/start phase and a first documented public event on May 29, 2004 without treating the different source wording as a contradiction that must be erased.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Emery McClendon, KB9IBW
ARRL and Defense material identify McClendon as the founder/organizer behind ARMAD.
First documented observance
QST listed Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day in Fort Wayne on May 29, 2004, and a February 2005 Defense story calls the May 28, 2005 event the second annual ARMAD.
Recognized Emery McClendon for his efforts starting ARMAD and expanding amateur-radio military appreciation activity.
Dayton Hamvention · 2008 Special Achievement Award
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
7 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
Also known as
ARMAD
How to Observe Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day
Listen for or participate in an ARMAD special-event station if you are a licensed amateur-radio operator and the event is active in your area.
Learn how amateur radio supports community communication and public-service events.
Share appreciation in a way that respects different experiences of military service and veteran life.
If you are new to amateur radio, use the day to learn about licensing, operating etiquette and local clubs before transmitting.
Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day Facts
ARMAD is associated with the Saturday of U.S. Memorial Day weekend.
Emery McClendon is the documented founder.
ARRL describes his starting efforts as beginning in 2003.
Contemporaneous QST and Defense material support May 29, 2004 as the first documented public ARMAD event.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
DVIDS / War.gov (opens in a new tab)
ARRL (opens in a new tab)
ARRL Letter — ARMAD founder/history (opens in a new tab)
National Amateur Radio Association
DVIDS — Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day history (opens in a new tab)
Official Military Media
QST June 2004 (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day?
Saturday immediately before U.S. Memorial Day (23 May in 2026) The documented recurrence rule is: Saturday immediately preceding U.S. Memorial Day (Memorial Day is the last Monday in May).
Does Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day fall on the same date every year?
It follows a recurring calendar rule, so the Gregorian date can change from year to year.
Is Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United States / ARMAD founder-led amateur-radio military appreciation event. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day?
The documented basis is: ARMAD was founded by Emery McClendon in 2003. Contemporary ARMAD references place the annual event on the Saturday of U.S. Memorial Day weekend.. Supporting evidence includes DVIDS — Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day history. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day international or country-specific?
This observance is specific to United States. Its fuller verified scope is: United States / ARMAD founder-led amateur-radio military appreciation event.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-09.
When is Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day?
It is associated with the Saturday of U.S. Memorial Day weekend.
Who founded ARMAD?
Amateur-radio and Defense sources identify Emery McClendon of Fort Wayne, Indiana as the founder.
Did ARMAD begin in 2003 or 2004?
ARRL credits McClendon with starting the effort in 2003, while contemporaneous event records support the first public ARMAD event in May 2004.
What happens on ARMAD?
Amateur-radio operators and community participants use radio events to exchange live messages of support and appreciation with military members, veterans and related groups.
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