Participate in the commemoration of the U.S. Army’s birthday on June 14 as we commemorate its founding in 1775. The army was initially comprised of volunteer soldiers with roots in the Continental Army and was formed to fight in the American Revolution. As the oldest branch of the U.S. military, the Army continues to provide peace and security for all Americans.
The background of US Army Birthday
The U.S. Army has existed for 245 years and counting. That is an abundance of birthday candles! The annual event commemorates the date in 1775 when the Continental Army was established by the Second Continental Congress and placed under the command of General George Washington to fight against the British.
Obviously, the U.S. Army has not always been the strongest military in the world. The original ‘army’ was comprised of volunteer soldiers, auxiliary troops, and minutemen who had the zeal and commitment to defend their land against the British. Actually, military forces existed in the United States prior to the formal establishment of the nation. Inexperienced militia commanded independent colonial armies.
The American Revolutionary War began in America on April 19, 1775, when Massachusetts militiamen and British regulars exchanged musket fire at Lexington and Concord. As Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire soldiers responded to the alarm, a state of war between the British government and the four colonies was declared. A force of New Englanders known as the Army of Observation surrounded Boston and besieged the occupying British troops, but they needed assistance. All thirteen colonies’ delegate representatives were sought and asked to join the fight for American independence.
When the delegates of the Continental Army gathered on May 10 in Philadelphia, they learned that armed men commanded by Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen had captured British forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain in New York. As soon as the delegates realised that the military rebellion must be addressed for the desired reconciliation to occur, the situation rapidly escalated into a crisis. Congress then took the next step, transforming the minor rebellion into a full-scale war for independence. The formation of the Continental Army resulted in the modern United States Army.
At one point, there were never more than 48 thousand Continental soldiers. Today, the United States Army has over one million active-duty personnel and an additional 800,000 members of the Reserve and National Guard.
The resilience of the U.S. Army and its history demonstrate the military’s indispensable role in peacekeeping. Numerous events and ceremonies are held on the Army’s Birthday to convey gratitude in a grand manner.
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5 FASCINATING US ARMY FACTS
The Army was originally established to fight in the American Revolution.
If the Army were a metropolis, it would be the nation’s tenth largest. Currently, just over 1 million personnel serve in the Army.
31 of the 45 individuals who have served as president served in the military. Twenty-four of them served in the Army or in state militias (the equivalent of our modern National Guard).
Soldiers serve at 158 installations spanning approximately 24,000 square miles worldwide. The Army would be larger than Hawaii and Massachusetts combined if it were a state.
More than 1 million active-duty and reserve personnel are maintained by the Army. With 2,2 million employees, only Walmart is larger.
US ARMY BIRTHDAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2023 | June 14 | Wednesday |
2024 | June 14 | Friday |
2025 | June 14 | Saturday |
2026 | June 14 | Sunday |
2027 | June 14 | Monday |