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America`s Army Celebrates 231st Birthday

The United States Army celebrated its 231st birthday last week, on June 14, and American soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan marked the occasion by doing what they do best ? serving their country with honor and distinction. Since 1775, the United States Army has fought many major wars and conflicts ? starting from the Revolutionary War, continuing with the War of 1812, on to the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, Vietnam, the first Gulf War and now the War on Terror.

There have been numerous small conflicts and operations which are of course included in the Army?s 231 years of service to the people of the United States. From day one, the Army worked to secure America?s independence, has labored to preserve the Union, and has served alongside America?s Allies overseas in times of need. The United States Army has some sort of presence in one-hundred and twenty (120) countries around the globe, and has firmly established itself, in the Army?s words, as ?the pre-eminent land power on Earth?.

People often forget that the founding of the United States Army ? as the Continental Army ? occurred over a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence which gave birth to the United States of America. Many of its founding officers, among them America?s first president, George Washington, served previously prior to the Revolution during the French and Indian War as British subjects/colonial troops. The United States Army has come a long way since its Continental Army days, growing from a small, irregular force of colonists to the core of the world?s most powerful military machine.