The U.S. Military is older than the nation it serves and protects.
The Military is about to have fun its 250th birthday Saturday, which will probably be marked by a competition and navy parade in Washington, D.C. that coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Because the nation’s oldest department of the navy, the Military is one yr older than america, which is able to have fun the identical milestone on July 4, 2026.
Listed below are 25 different information chances are you’ll not know concerning the Military forward of its 250th birthday.
1. The Military was established throughout the American Revolution on June 14, 1775.
2. Recognized initially because the Continental Military, it represented all British colonies on the continent of North America.
3. The Continental Military was initially composed of troopers from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
4. Someday after the department was established, George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Military.
5. The Continental Military turned the Military of america after Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776.
6. The Military is the most important navy department in america, with roughly 450,000 active-duty troopers – serving to to make the Division of Protection the nation’s largest employer.
7. Texas has extra active-duty members of the Military than some other U.S. state, with over 65,000.
8. Virginia has probably the most Military bases of any state, with 9.
9. The Military has stated it owns greater than 15 million acres of land throughout america. “If the Army was a state, we’d be the 42nd largest,” the department stated.
10. There have been 16 males elected president of america who’ve served in both the Continental Military, U.S. Military or U.S. Military Reserves:
George Washington
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
William Henry Harrison
Zachary Taylor
Franklin Pierce
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Benjamin Harrison
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ronald Reagan
11. There have been 5 5-Star generals within the Military’s historical past: Gen. George C. Marshall, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gen. Henry H. Arnold and Gen. Omar N. Bradley.
12. In 1877, Henry O. Flipper turned the primary Black graduate of america Navy Academy at West Level and the primary commissioned Black officer within the U.S. Military.
13. Deborah Sampson is considered as the primary girl to enlist within the U.S. navy as a member of the Military. The Massachusetts native disguised herself as a person named Robert Shurtlieff for practically two years throughout the American Revolution and served with the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment from 1781 to 1783. After falling in poor health, she obtained an honorable discharge and went on to obtain a navy pension.
14. As of 2020, the Military reported practically 75,000 active-duty feminine members.
15. From “king” to soldier: Elvis Presley was drafted in 1957 and spent two years on energetic obligation within the Military, together with an 18-month stint in Germany as a truck driver.
16. Different notable individuals who have served within the Military embrace Jackie Robinson, Clint Eastwood and James Earl Jones.
17. The Military’s official motto is “This We’ll Defend,” which has been used because the Revolutionary Conflict.
18. The Military’s hottest slogan, “Be All That You Can Be,” was first launched in a 1980 advert marketing campaign. It was changed in 2001 with “Army of One” and revived in 2023.
19. The seven Military values are loyalty, obligation, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and private braveness.
20. The Military has stated that, throughout World Conflict II, supporting one soldier on the battlefield took one gallon of gas per day. Now it takes over 20 gallons per day per soldier.
21. The Lewis and Clark expedition was really an Military marketing campaign to map and uncover the geographic secrets and techniques of the continent, based on the USO.
22. The Military’s 2025 finances request was $185.9 billion.
23. The present service uniform is the long-lasting “Army Greens” in honor of these worn throughout World Conflict II.
24. The oldest active-duty infantry unit within the Military is the third U.S. Infantry Regiment – higher often known as “The Old Guard” – which has served since 1784.
25. Since 1948, troopers from The Outdated Guard have stood watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Nationwide Cemetery for twenty-four hours a day. The troopers who volunteer to develop into tomb guards endure intensive coaching, with every factor of the routine holding which means, based on the Arlington web site:
“The Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns and faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, and then takes 21 steps down the mat. Next, the Guard executes a sharp ‘shoulder-arms’ movement to place his/her weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors, signifying that he or she stands between the Tomb and any possible threat. The number 21 symbolizes the highest symbolic military honor that can be bestowed: the 21-gun salute.”
