This week recognizes the U.S. Army’s 248th anniversary of its 14 June 1775 founding by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. (Yes, I know the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784, and technically the force was “just” 239 years old two weeks ago…but, hey, what’s a decade between traditions?)
In case you missed it, below is the short (20-minute) Army Birthday Wreath Laying at Arlington, performed by the “Old Guard” of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Regiment. Sadly, the ceremony looked sparsely attended.
And in something that is also stirring for the blood, MCoE Fort Moore (Bragg) released these two great short videos they cut, showing Joes today compared to throwbacks from the old 1980s “Stripes” style Be All You Can Be recruiting spots, including the “more before 9 a.m.” one.
U.S. Army regulars of the first American contingent to arrive overseas in World War I, Wellington Barracks, 1917. Photographed by Christina Broom via Museum of London. Note the stacked M1903s, disk type canteens, and the very real “I guess we are over there now” faces. Most of these men had likely seen the elephant in Mexico or the Philippines, but were not ready for the ultra modern meat grinder of the Western Front
Since its official birth, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence — the U.S. Army has been getting it done.
On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress passed the following resolution:
Resolved, That six companies of expert riflemen [sic], be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia; … [and] that each company, as soon as completed [sic], shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the Chief Officer in that army.
With this resolution, the Continental Congress adopted the New England Army of Observation, making it a “continental” army — a united colonial fighting force — that could represent all 13 colonies with the addition of the troops from the three middle colonies. The Continental Army thus became America’s first national institution.
Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark Milley and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey sends the below message for the 242nd Army Birthday. This year’s theme commemorates the 100th anniversary of World War I.
The first 243 American soldiers in Europe arrived on British soil on 18 May 1917, shown in the image at the top of this post. They would begin crossing the Channel and landing in France on 26 June. Four months later, on 21 October, the first Americans entered combat when units from the U.S. Army’s “Big Red One” 1st Infantry Division were assigned to Allied trenches in the Luneville sector near Nancy, France.
America’s Army was founded, June 14, 1775, by order of the Second Continental Congress less than 60 days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
The next day, Congress voted unanimously for a surveyor and planter from Virginia who had served as a colonel of militia under the late Maj. Gen. Braddock and later Brig. Gen. Forbes during the French Campaign previously, as commander of the new Continental Army. Though he had never commanded more than 1,000 men under arms before, Gen. Washington turned out to not be so bad in the end with a little help from the French.
And he worked cheap too, only billing Congress for expenses.
Army Chief of Staff GEN Mark A. Milley’s official message:
