25 facts about the U.S. Army ahead of its 250th birthday

The U.S. Army is older than the country it serves and protects.

The Army is set to celebrate its 250^th birthday Saturday, which will be marked by a festival and military parade in Washington, D.C. that coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. As the nation's oldest branch of the military, the Army is one year older than the United States, which will celebrate the same milestone on July 4, 2026.  

Here are 25 other facts you may not know about the Army ahead of its 250th birthday.

1. The Army was established during the American Revolution on June 14, 1775.

2. Known initially as the Continental Army, it represented all British colonies on the continent of North America.

3. The Continental Army was originally composed of soldiers from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

4. One day after the branch was established, George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

5. The Continental Army became the Army of the United States after Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776.  

6. The Army is the largest military branch in the United States, with roughly 450,000 active-duty soldiers – helping to make the Department of Defense the country’s largest employer.

7. Texas has more active-duty members of the Army than any other U.S. state, with over 65,000.

8. Virginia has the most Army bases of any state, with nine.

9. The Army has said it owns more than 15 million acres of land across the United States. “If the Army was a state, we'd be the 42nd largest,” the branch said.

10. There have been 16 men elected president of the United States who have served in either the Continental Army, U.S. Army or U.S. Army Reserves:

• George Washington
• James Monroe
• Andrew Jackson
• William Henry Harrison
• Zachary Taylor
• Franklin Pierce
• Andrew Johnson
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Rutherford B. Hayes
• James A. Garfield
• Benjamin Harrison
• William McKinley
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Harry S. Truman
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Ronald Reagan

11. There have been five 5-Star generals in the Army’s history: Gen. George C. Marshall, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gen. Henry H. Arnold and Gen. Omar N. Bradley.

12. In 1877, Henry O. Flipper became the first Black graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the first commissioned Black officer in the U.S. Army.

13. Deborah Sampson is viewed as the first woman to enlist in the U.S. military as a member of the Army. The Massachusetts native disguised herself as a man named Robert Shurtlieff for nearly two years during the American Revolution and served with the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment from 1781 to 1783. After falling ill, she received an honorable discharge and went on to receive a military pension.

14. As of 2020, the Army reported nearly 75,000 active-duty female members.

15. From "king" to soldier: Elvis Presley was drafted in 1957 and spent two years on active duty in the Army, including an 18-month stint in Germany as a truck driver.

16. Other notable people who have served in the Army include Jackie Robinson, Clint Eastwood and James Earl Jones.

17. The Army’s official motto is “This We’ll Defend,” which has been used since the Revolutionary War.

18. The Army’s most popular slogan, “Be All That You Can Be,” was first launched in a 1980 ad campaign. It was replaced in 2001 with “Army of One” and revived in 2023.

19. The seven Army values are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.

20. The Army has said that, during World War II, supporting one soldier on the battlefield took one gallon of fuel per day. Now it takes over 20 gallons per day per soldier.

21. The Lewis and Clark expedition was actually an Army campaign to map and discover the geographic secrets of the continent, according to the USO.  

22. The Army’s 2025 budget request was $185.9 billion.

23. The current service uniform is the iconic “Army Greens” in honor of those worn during World War II.

24. The oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army is the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment – better known as "The Old Guard" – which has served since 1784.

25. Since 1948, soldiers from The Old Guard have stood watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery for 24 hours a day. The soldiers who volunteer to become tomb guards undergo intensive training, with each element of the routine holding meaning, according to the Arlington website:

“The Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns and faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, and then takes 21 steps down the mat. Next, the Guard executes a sharp 'shoulder-arms' movement to place his/her weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors, signifying that he or she stands between the Tomb and any possible threat. The number 21 symbolizes the highest symbolic military honor that can be bestowed: the 21-gun salute.”