Celebrating 233 Years of Service

Army, Jun 2008 by Nelson, Harold W

Soldiers will be celebrating the Army's 233rd birthday at many remote sites and big posts on June 14. There are plenty of reasons for celebration: Units and individual soldiers are bearing up under the strain of a long war and are making significant progress against determined enemies; the Army continues to transform while meeting warfighting challenges; the commitment to developing leaders and building well-trained, well-equipped teams is undiminished. Every soldier, from the newest recruit to the most senior general, should take pride in these accomplishments, because they have seldom been sustained with such success over such a long period in our history.

Anyone who glances at our Army's history knows that we have often been engaged in long skirmishes with tough enemies in remote areas. For most of that history, the ordinary citizen knew almost nothing about the struggle or its cost. Political leaders were unable-or unwilling-to visit sites where violence had erupted, and funding for the fighting force was uncertain at best. Today some people say that only the armed forces are at war, as if that observation made our era unusual. In fact, it is the periods of public engagement during the big wars that is the anomaly in our nation's history. No one in the settled parts of the United States paid much heed while the Army struggled with the Seminoles in Florida, the Comanches or the Sioux on the Great Plains, or the Apaches in the Southwest. Reports might be filed with newspapers after a major battle, and an occasional letter from a soldier might be published now and then, but the public and the politicians were generally unaware of any details of the Army's activities.

When few outsiders were aware of the Army's work, Army leaders had an extremely difficult challenge in gaining support for the budget they needed to recruit, train and sustain the force. Finding funds to modernize equipment or test new concepts was virtually impossible. The skimpy funding made the soldier's task even more trying.

Of course the Army observed a few birthdays when a big war had captured the public's attention. Those weren't necessarily much happier. Big wars mean lots of casualties at the front and lots of fights over priorities in Washington. The Army often does better winning its fight at the front than it does in the battle for resources. As a result, it isn't unusual for an American soldier in a big war to wonder about ammunition shortages, lack of appropriate field gear, or insufficient replacements for buddies he has lost.

Perhaps our current war has many of the undesirable features of past remote skirmishes and big wars. Veterans sometimes complain that their positive work to rebuild Afghanistan or Iraq gets virtually no coverage in media that seem to dwell on casualties inflicted by terrorists. They also note that only the most devoted citizens have much sense of where they have been serving or what they have encountered-they might as well be returning from an expedition to Montana 125 years ago. But veterans also remind us that they have been fighting and working at the end of a long supply line just like those we remember from studying the wars of the 20th century. Communication is faster and easier, but actual movement of items halfway around the globe hasn't accelerated by very much. Shortages can be encountered even if they aren't a result of misguided priorities.

But when we celebrate the Army's birthday, we can assert that the current war has most of the best features of the two types of conflicts. Even though they are heavily reported and much mourned, our casualties are relatively light, as they were in the frontier skirmishes. A few small units can be hit very hard with devastating results for the teams engaged but with little impact on the staying power of the Army. The public is aware of the sacrifice, even though that awareness is often superficial. Politicians are aware of the needs as well as the sacrifices. They don't agree on next steps, but that is the American way. We should celebrate it as gladly as we celebrate the Army's magnificent performance in spite of all difficulties.

Every conflict it has faced in its 233 years has tempered the Army. The great Army we know today was built by the selfless sacrifice of many generations of fine soldiers. None have been finer than those who serve today, and we salute them as we join them in congratulating the Army on another year of service to nation.

By Brig. Gen. Harold W. Nelson

U.S. Army retired

BRIG. GEN. HAROLD VV. NELSON, USA Ret., is a former U.S. Army Chief of Military History. He has served on the faculties of the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.