In 1940 Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act which created the first peacetime draft and established the Selective Service System as an independent federal agency.

Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War. However, the Selective Service System remains in place as a contingency plan; men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register so that a draft can be readily resumed if needed. In current conditions conscription is considered unlikely by most political and military experts. Continue reading →

Law Now Allows Retirees and Vets to Salute Flag

Traditionally, members of the nation’s veterans service organizations have rendered the hand-salute during the national anthem and at events involving the national flag only while wearing their organization’s official head-gear.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 contained an amendment to allow un-uniformed service members, military retirees, and veterans to render a hand salute during the hoisting, lowering, or passing of the U.S. flag.

A later amendment further authorized hand-salutes during the national anthem by veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel. This was included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009, which President Bush signed on Oct. 14, 2008. Continue reading →

The first celebration of the U.S. Flag’s birthday was held in 1877 on the 100th anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777.

However, it is believed that the first annual recognition of the flag’s birthday dates back to 1885 when school teacher, BJ Cigrand, first organized a group of Wisconsin school children to observe June 14 – the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes as the Flag’s Birthday. Cigrand, now known as the ‘Father of Flag Day,’ continued to publically advocate the observance of June 14 as the flag’s ‘birthday’, or ‘Flag Day’ for years. Continue reading →

FORT MEADE, Md. — When Congress established the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, the original 10 Rifle Companies were composed heavily of frontiersmen and some of the militia leaders already fighting were veterans of a unit known as Roger’s Rangers.

Roger’s Rangers were skilled woodsmen who fought for the British during the French and Indian War. They frequently undertook winter raids against French outposts, blended native-American techniques with pioneering skills and operated in terrain where traditional militias were ineffective.

The American ranger tradition actually began back in the early 17th century on the frontier, according to historian Glenn Williams at the U.S. Army Center of Military History. Continue reading →

Infantry, June 14, 1775

Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775. However, the oldest Regular Army infantry regiment, the 3d, was constituted on June 3, 1784, as the First American Regiment. Continue reading →

When the American Revolution broke out, the rebellious colonies did not possess an army in the modern sense. Rather, the revolutionaries fielded an amateur force of colonial troops, cobbled together from various New England militia companies. They had no unified chain of command, and although Artemas Ward of Massachusetts exercised authority by informal agreement, officers from other colonies were not obligated to obey his orders. The American volunteers were led, equipped, armed, paid for, and supported by the colonies from which they were raised. Continue reading →

Double-click on Mallard’s face for a larger version

There are over 1.4 million people serving on active duty in our U.S. Armed Forces, and another 848,000 assigned to the seven reserve components. That number doesn’t include the more than 23 million veterans in our country. Almost all of these military members and veterans have family members, bringing the total military community to over 50 million individuals.

There are many organizations and associations available to help members of the military during and after their service to the country. These associations not only encourage and spur camaraderie, they also offer incredible benefits for their members. Some provide advocacy, help you network and access job opportunities, tap into benefits at a reduced cost, lobby congress concerning issues vital to military life, or find support for you and your family in times of war and peace. Continue reading →

Background

The Medal of Homor was first suggested shortly after the beginning of the Civil War.  Congress passed the law on December 21, 1861 authorizing President Abraham Lincoln to authorize 200 Navy Medals of Honor.  A second congressional act followed on July 12, 1862, allowing Lincoln to authorize an Army Medal of Honor.  The first Medal of Honor ceremony occurred on March 25, 1863. Continue reading →