Yuma Military Appreciation Day is back

Event will be held march 16 in downtown Yuma

After a three-year hiatus due to COVID, the Yuma Military Appreciation Day (Y-MAD) makes its spectacular return in downtown Yuma Saturday, March 16.

Co-founded in 2015 by Dean “Doc” Hager, president of the Navy League of the United States (NLUS) Yuma Council, Y-MAD was an adaptation of the city’s Yuma Appreciation Day, which resembled more of a craft fair involving limited military participation.

“We went to the mayor and said we’d like to take that event and turn it into a true military appreciation day,” Hager said. “It was a win-win. The small businesses appreciated changing the event to more displays, no sales and no food vendors, so the restaurants would be utilized by the public. It was very popular.”

At its height in 2019, Y-MAD was the second most attended event in the county behind only the Yuma Lettuce Days Festival.

This year’s event will begin at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony that will include V.I.P addresses by Mayor Doug Nicholls, Yuma Proving Ground Commander Col. John Nelson and

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Executive Officer Ltcol Jacob S. Reeves.

Then, after the opening ceremonies, visitors can enjoy various booths, historical displays, live demonstrations, and current Marine Corps and Army equipment static displays on and around Main Street until the event shuts down at 3:00 p.m.

“We have a full half-block worth of Army equipment and displays, active duty Marine equipment and displays, and we have over 33 separate booths from all the veterans’ support service organizations in town – central, state and philanthropic – in one place,” Hager said.

This design ensures veterans and their families can find answers to any and all questions regarding veteran services or opportunities. There will also be a pancake breakfast and hotdog lunch that is free for all veterans and active duty volunteers, courtesy of the Yuma Mission and Salvation Army.

The event’s support staff and booth managers will also consist of volunteers from each of the individual organizations, while a small team of volunteers from the Military Affairs Council plans to walk the street, ensuring the safety and enjoyment of all visitors to the event.

For those who remember the event from PRE-COVID times, don’t worry, the crowd-favorite EOD robots from MCAS and the K-9 crews are both planning to make appearances, in addition to a DJ and live demonstrations.

The event is designed to “celebrate the rich history Yuma has with our active duty forces,” Hager said. “We celebrate the history going back to outfitting the Army forts from the Colorado River site all the way to YPG and MCAS.”