Army Birthday

The U.S. Army is perhaps the nation's most formidable fighting force, but did you know it was formed even before America declared its independence?

Join Military.com as we celebrate the Army's birthday.

From its humble beginnings as an amateur force of colonial troops, cobbled together from various militia, to its status today as the largest branch in the U.S. military, the Army has seen it all, from the Revolutionary War to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read some of the features below, view video tributes, and take a history quiz as we commemorate the Army's birthday.

Video: Our Nation's Oldest Military Branch

Army Birthday Articles

Soldiers of the 65th Infantry Regiment, North of the Han River, Korea, June 1951. (U. S. Army photo)

Army History: The History of Our Nation

battle of saratoga

Rangers: First Leaders of America's Army

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Audrey Griffith, left, and Spc. Heidi Gerke, both with the 92nd Engineer Battalion, stand guard during a force protection exercise at Forward Operating Base Hadrian in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, March 18, 2013. DoD courtesy photo

Army Birthday Quiz

Women Airforce Service pilots Frances Green, Margaret "Peg" Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn, leave their B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft, "Pistol Packin' Mama," during ferry training at Lockbourne Army Airfield, Ohio, 1944. (U.S. Air Force)

These Badass Women of the US Army Got the Job Done

Conceptual rendering of the National Museum of the US Army (image courtesy of Eisterhold Associates Inc.)

Foundations of the Army: Future National Museum Will Tell the Army’s Story

Gen. Mark Milley, Army chief of staff, catches balls as Army Secretary Mark Esper warms up to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, June 10, 2018. Esper threw out the first pitch during the Washington Nationals contest against San Francisco Giants. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Joe Lacdan)

Army, Nationals Team Up to Celebrate the Army's Birthday

Medal of Honor holders Clarence Sasser (left) and Vernon Baker cut the ribbon dedicating the Pentagon's African Americans in Defense of Our Nation corridor during ceremonies Feb. 19. (U.S. Army/Master Sgt. Stephen Barrett)

2nd Lt. Vernon Baker

5 Defining Army Reserve Moments

U.S. Army Soldiers prepare to march out the ceremonial cake for the U.S. Army’s 241st Birthday at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., June 17, 2016. (U.S. Marine Corps photo/Lance Cpl. Hailey D. Stuart)

Army Birthday Events

Ralph T. Moan (Photo: The Army Historical Foundation)

An Unlikely War Poet: A Doughboy from Maine

The Harlem Hellfighters are seen here at Séchault, France, on Sept. 29, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

Fighting for Respect: Black Soldiers in World War I

Army test-rifle

History of U.S. Army Weapons

Operation Camouflage Pattern uniforms

History of US Army Uniforms

The beach landings at Normandy

The Meaning of Normandy

Mr. T

Famous Veteran: Mr. T