National Day of the Deployed

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There are approximately 180,000 military men and women currently deployed.

National Day of the Deployed dates back to 2006 when Shelle Michaels Aberle approached then North Dakota Governor John Hoeven to support a proclamation for a day to honor men and women actively serving in the military outside the U.S. Hoeven was the first governor in the United States to recognize deployed troops through a formal proclamation. October 26 was chosen as the annual date of observance because it was the birthday of Aberle’s cousin, U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Hosna, actively serving in Iraq at the time.

In 2011, Hoeven, then a U.S. senator, sponsored a resolution designating October 26 as National Day of the Deployed, which passed unanimously. Since then, all 50 states have officially observed the holiday.