On Saturday, the nation’s capital will host the largest military pageant seen on its streets in decades. Beginning at 6:30 PM ET, 6,600 troops and more than 50 aircraft will roll and fly from 23rd St. NW to 15th St. NW along Constitution Avenue before a fireworks finale — all to mark the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
President Trump, who just so happens to be celebrating his own birthday on this day, will also give a speech, and we already have an idea of what he will say thanks to prediction markets like Kalshi — yes, you can actually trade real money on the words he will say in his address!
While we wait for the festivities to begin, let’s rewind and take a closer look at the 250-year history of the U.S. Army.
June 14, 1775: Continental Army Takes Form
The Army’s origin story begins in Philadelphia, where the Second Continental Congress created the Continental Army on June 14, 1775 to unify colonial militias against British forces. That date is still celebrated each year as the Army’s official birthday.
Citizen-Soldiers Win a Revolution
From Bunker Hill to Yorktown, early American soldiers—many of them farmers and tradesmen—endured brutal winters and lack of supplies. Their determination and alliances with France helped secure independence and laid the foundation for the Army’s core values: discipline, duty, and sacrifice.
Civil War Crucible: From Blue & Gray to a Modern Force
The Civil War swelled the Army to more than one million soldiers, introduced rifled artillery and rail-based logistics, and marked the beginning of battlefield medicine. The war also saw the formation of the U.S. Colored Troops, linking military service to the cause of emancipation.
Doughboys in Europe: World War I
More than 2 million American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) crossed the Atlantic in 1917–18. Under Gen. John J. Pershing, U.S. troops helped shift the balance in Europe and introduced the Army to tanks, aerial combat, and chemical warfare.
World War II: The Arsenal of Democracy
Mobilization for WWII expanded the Army from 190,000 to over 8 million by 1945. Women joined the ranks, the Army Air Forces took flight, and the U.S. emerged as a global superpower. Victory came through innovation, teamwork, and sacrifice on a global scale.
Cold War Hot Spots
During the Cold War, the Army operated on the front lines of ideological conflict—in Korea, Vietnam, and Europe. The era eventually gave rise to the all-volunteer force, helicopter warfare, and a professionalized corps of non-commissioned officers.
Desert Storm to the Digital Battlefield
The Army’s swift victory in Desert Storm showcased high-tech firepower. In the decades that followed, counterinsurgency wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reshaped the Army yet again—prompting breakthroughs in body armor, battlefield medicine, and urban warfare tactics.
Future Force: Cyber, Space & AI
The modern Army is preparing for 21st-century threats across cyber, space, and electromagnetic domains. With the rise of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and multi-domain operations, today’s Army is training soldiers to fight across land, sea, air, space—and code.
