On June 14, 1775, the U.S. Army was formed to provide for the common defense of 13 colonies at war for independence from English rule.

Known as the Continental Army, the individual colony militia, minutemen, and townsmen fighting for independence joined forces to create a fighting force that would eventually defeat the British under the command of Gen. George Washington. In 1784, the Continental Army evolved into the U.S. Army through congressional action. The U.S. Army has been defending the citizens of the United States since its first day.

Famous Facts about the Army:
The regular Army’s oldest unit is Headquarters & Headquarters Battery, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, organized January 6, 1776, and commanded by then-Capt. Alexander Hamilton.

In 1950, the “Beetle Bailey” comic strip introduced America to the life of an Army recruit. Over 200 million daily readers learned the iconography and vocabulary of the military via the exploits of Bailey for 68 years.
The Army Signal Corps established the first weather service in 1861. It later pioneered the use of radar systems for meteorological applications.

During the Civil War, Jonathan Letterman, medical director of the Army of the Potomac, developed the first ambulance evacuation system and the first triage system. Army doctors confirmed that mosquitoes transmitted diseases such as yellow fever.  The Army Medical Corps developed procedures to use helicopters for evacuating wounded soldiers.

Inventions:
The Jeep
Ray-Ban sunglasses
Bug Spray
EpiPens
Electric Razors
Pringles

“True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow.” Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.