COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Let us all join in a moment of reflection and celebration in honor of the U.S. Army’s 245th Birthday, which was celebrated on Sunday, June 14. The U.S. Army was officially created on June 14, 1775, over a year prior to the Declaration of Independence, when Congress approved the raising of six companies of riflemen to enlist in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia until the end of the Revolutionary War. The Army has grown in size and capability since its humble beginnings in the nation’s struggle for independence against Great Britain and is now the largest branch of the U.S. military.
This year the Army’s Birthday was themed, “America’s Army: When We are Needed, We are There.” This message is very appropriate and encompassing of the Army in our current environment and throughout the nation’s history. It serves as a reminder of the Soldiers currently stationed throughout the world and those Soldiers that were ‘there’ before them. The theme is also a good reminder of the diversity of support the Army provides to so many needs, which can range from an infantry squad closing width and destroying an enemy, to a Security Forces Assistance Brigade being a force multiplier through training, to logistics trains, to one of the many Army Corps of Engineers projects throughout the United States or an Army Medical Brigade supporting the COVID-19 Response. The U.S. Army also has a long history of providing domestic support to the homeland through the U.S. Army National Guard. Time and time again the Army has responded to the nations ‘needs’ and Soldiers are ‘there’ whether it be the beaches of Normandy, the mountains of Afghanistan, or a New York City hospital.
Please thank a Soldier and know the proud men and women of the U.S. Army continue to provide peace and security for all of us.