Few American institutions pre-date the founding of our country. Yet on Wednesday, we celebrate the birthday of one of them—the U.S. Army.
Tracing its birth to June 14, 1775, the Army originates from an act passed by the Continental Congress authorizing 10 companies of “expert riflemen” to join state militias gathered outside Boston.
President George Washington’s appointment as the Army’s commander in chief came the following day.
The story of the Army’s 242 years is the story of our nation, punctuated by military operations like the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, the surrender of the Confederate Army at Appomattox, the successful Battle of Saint-Mihiel in World War I, the D-Day invasion, the bloody battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam, the tough fights in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan, and the history being written today by the brave American soldiers deployed in 140 countries around the world.