#MomentsOfValor

Abdulaziz ibn Abdurrahman Al Saud became the Emir of Riyadh in 1902 and, over the next 30 years, devoted all his efforts to uniting the surrounding emirates under his leadership. He succeeded, and on September 23rd 1932, he proclaimed the establishment of a new state: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On August 15th 1947, India became an independent nation. Independence Day is one of the most important national holidays: the Prime Minister traditionally hoists the flag at the Red Fort in Delhi, the national anthem is played, and a 21-gun salute is fired. The national flag is ceremoniously raised across the entire country, even in the smallest villages!

On December 1st, Portugal celebrates Restoration of Independence Day! It was on this date in 1640 that the Portuguese revolted against Spain, which had controlled the country for several decades at the time, and declared independence. Join in with a new video from our Moments of Valor series, dedicated to Portugal!

October 12th marks the National Day of Spain, commemorating Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America on this day in 1492 under the flag of the Spanish Crown. October 12th also marks Spanish Language Day, the native language of nearly 500 million people worldwide. In honor of this event, we’re pleased to present a new video in our popular Moments of Valor series, dedicated to Spain! 

The Great French Revolution shook the entire world, and one of the first and most important events of that time was the storming of the Bastille prison-fortress on July 14th, 1789. This date was not celebrated for almost a hundred years until 1880, when July 14th became a National Holiday. For this day, a large military parade on the Champs Elysees was established one hundred years later in 1980. 

Every year on the first Sunday in June, Canada celebrates Armed Forces Day. At the start of the First World War, the Canadian Armed forces had just 3,500 men, but by the end of the war with conscription announced, they expanded to 400,000. 24,000 of these took part in battles in Europe. The conscription for the Second World War was even larger, with more than a million Canadians serving and of these, 42,000 died in combat. Currently, the Canadian Armed Forces have just over 90,000 personnel. 

April 9th is traditionally observed in the Philippines as a national memorial day known as Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor). This day commemorates the fall of the Bataan Peninsula to Japanese forces in 1942. For nearly four months, the defenders of the peninsula held off enemy attacks despite being starved, short of ammunition and low on manpower. For Filipinos, their feat is a shining symbol of valor and selflessness.

On January 26th, 1788, the British flag was raised for the first time on the coast of Australia, marking the establishment of the first colony on the continent. Each of the colonies celebrated its own foundation day throughout the 19th century, but at the beginning of the 20th century, Australia was united. In 1935, January 26th was chosen as the date of the main national holiday. 

Brazil celebrates Independence Day on September 7th, and this year the largest South American country turns 202 years old. We’re marking this date with a new cinematic video from the Moments of Valor series dedicated to Brazil. 

In honor of Argentina's Independence Day, we are publishing a new cinematic video from the “Moments of Valor” series, dedicated to veterans of the Falklands War. Also for this occasion, we have prepared a set of themed camouflages for aircraft used in the conflict or in service with the warring parties at that time.