Fort Bliss celebrates the U.S. Army’s 246th birthday with outdoor celebration

FORT BLISS, Texas -- The U.S. Army is celebrating an important day on June 14th-- their 246th birthday, and Fort Bliss’ 1st Armored Division celebrated the special occasion Monday afternoon with soldiers and their families.

The theme for this year's birthday celebration was 'Honoring the Courage of the American Soldier.'

"Want to remind the El Paso community that we are here there need us and that we are always up to face any challenges," said Maj. Steven Modugno, public affairs officer for Fort Bliss.

Soldiers and their families spent the afternoon enjoying museum displays, food trucks and learning about the Army’s weapons and vehicles.

"We bring these vehicles out not just to showcase how awesome these vehicles are, but also we do it to showcase that we're ready whenever we're needed to respond to any challenges,” he said.

Although the events 24.6 hour run was cancelled due to extreme heat and safety concerns, the turnout of Monday's celebration was a good one.

"The feedback I've seen is mostly enthusiasm probably because the soldiers are able to break away from just the day-to-day operations,” said Modugno.

For him, joining the Army is something he is proud to do for his 5-year-old son.

"He's constantly just a joy to see and to see him growing up reminds me of some of the freedoms I had when I was younger," said Modugno, "The freedom to choose my own career path, the freedom to choose what I want to believe, and I just wanna make sure the same freedoms are available for him when he grows up.”