Events in US Military History
Credit: Timeline from US Army Study Guide.
| DATE | EVENT |
| 1775-1783 | The Revolutionary War |
| 1775 May 10 | The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga (The action for which the Army was awarded it's first battle streamer) |
| 1775 Jun 14 | Te infantry branch was established in the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army was created by the Second Continental Congress. Six Companies of expert riflemen formed in Pennsylvania, Two in Maryland and Two in Virginia |
| 1775 Jul 03 | George Washington became the first Commander in Chief of the Continental Army |
| 1776 Jul 04 | The Declaration of Independence was established |
| 1778 | During the winter the Army received it's first real training by a former Prussian Officer named Baron Friedrich Von Steuben at Valley Forge |
| 1787 | The Constitution of the United States was written (Ratified in 1789) |
| 1812-1815 | The war of 1812 |
| 1861-1865 | The Civil War |
| 1862 Jul 12 | The Medal of Honor was established by a Congressional Act |
| 1898 | The United States emerged as a world power with the outbreak of the Spanish American War |
| 1903 Aug 16 | The first Chief of Staff of the Army took office |
| 1908 | LT. Edmund L. Gruber composed the "Caisson Song" which was later to be known as "the Army goes rolling along". It was dedicated on Veterans day of 1956 by the Secretary of the Army. |
| 1926 | Congress changed the name of the Air Service to the Army Air Corp |
| 1931 Mar 03 | "The Star Spangled Banner" officially became the National Anthem by law (title 36, U.S. Code 170) |
| 1941 Dec 07 | The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor |
| 1944 Jun 06 | D-Day, France was liberated when the U.S. and it's Allies stormed Normandy Beach (the password used was "Mickey Mouse") The official name of the operation was "Operation Overlord" |
| 1945 May 12 | VE-Day, Germany surrendered |
| 1945 Aug 06 | The 1st atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan (dropped by a plane named the Enola Gay) |
| 1945 Aug 09 | the 2nd atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan |
| 1947 | The Department of the Army was established by the National Security Act of 1947. It was previously known as The War Department. |
| 1947 Sep | The Air Force separated from the Army |
| 1949 Aug 10 | Department of Defense was created |
| 1950 May | The Uniform Code of Military Justice was enacted |
| 1955 Aug 17 | President Eisenhower signed the Code of Conduct |
| 1956 Jun 14 | The Army flag was dedicated. Also the 181st Anniversary of the U.S. Army |
| 1956 Nov 11 | The army song "The Army Goes Rolling Along" was dedicated by the Secretary of the Army. It was not officially announced until Dec 12, 1957. Originally known as the "Caisson Song", it was composed by LT. Edmund L. Gruber in 1908 |
| 1957 Dec 12 | The army officially announced that "The Army goes rolling along" was the Official U.S. Army song. The song originally written by LT. Edmund L. Gruber in 1908 was originally known as the "Caisson Song" and was dedicated in 1956 by the Secretary of the Army. |
| 1959 | The draft was extended until this year due to the outbreak of the Korean war |
| 1966 Jul 04 | The position of Sergeant Major of the Army was established |
| 1968 | The Tet Offensive, the full scale assault on all major South Vietnamese cities by the enemy |
| 1968 | The American spy ship "USS Pueblo" was captured by the North Korean Forces |
| 1973 | The majority of American troops pulled out of Vietnam |
| 1983 Oct 25 | The Grenada Operation commenced |
| 1989 | Operation Just Cause - In December 1989, U.S. Army forces supported by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, participated in Operation Just Cause - the invasion of Panama. Ground forces, consisting of combat elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, the 7th Infantry Division, the 75th Ranger Regiment, a Joint Special Operations Task Force and U.S. Marines, executed a night assault into Panama |
| 1991 Jan | Marlin Fitzwater announces, "The liberation of Kuwait has begun..." The air war started Jan 17 at 2:38 a.m. (local time) or January 16 at 6:38PM EST due to an 8 hour time difference, with an Apache helicopter attack. US warplanes attack Baghdad, Kuwait and other military targets in Iraq. |
| 1992 Feb 1 | US and Russia sign a treaty officially ending the Cold War |
| 2001 Sept 11 | Attacks Begin on United States Targets. Also known as 9-11 |
| 2001 Sept 14 | Operation Noble Eagle Begins |
| 2001 Oct 07 | Operation Enduring Freedom Begins |
| 2002 Jan 06 | Joint Task Force Guantanamo Begins |
| 2003 Mar 19 | Operation Iraqi Freedom Begins |