A Salute to Our Army

Guilty as charged, your honor. And I plead no contest to talking smack about the U.S. Army as opportunity allowed for three decades or more. Extenuation and Mitigation? Well, I’m a Marine…it’s kind of what we do.

Fortunately, harassing sister services is not chargeable under the UCMJ or those of us who served in a different uniform would all be facing a general court martial. That kind of thing is part and parcel of the military experience once you scrape away all that giggly, kumbaya joint service crapola. We all wanted to think of ourselves as rock-ribbed members of the world’s most admirable fighting, flying, or sailing outfit, which meant that those other guys and gals in the Army had to be located somewhere below on the greatness scale. It’s the nature of the military beast and untamable by any kind of regulation.

As our vaunted and powerful United States Army marked the anniversary of their founding and 250 years of defending this nation on 14 June, I’m prone to give the doggies a little long-overdue love. And I’m a bit chagrined that their big showcase efforts in our nation’s capital were diluted somewhat by the sour grapes anti-illegal immigration demonstrations that Democrats and their paid minions staged. It’s much to the credit of our Army that they mostly ignored it and focused on celebrating what’s right about our nation and it’s largest group of patriotic defenders.

In light of all that, my Marine Corps—not to mention the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard—should call a temporary halt to all the parochial jibes and jabs we are wont to toss at our primary land-combat force. The Space Force gets a pass here. They’ve got their own image problems and are unlikely to be dropping dimes on the Army just yet.

A senior general officer once called me “the Army’s favorite Marine” owing to the Army related movies or TV series that I’ve helped guide to realistic depictions. I’ve been inducted as a Legionnaire into the Association of the U.S. Army’s Order of St. Maurice for similar reasons. I’ve been welcomed as an honorary member of the 506^th Parachute Infantry Regiment in recognition of my work on Band of Brothers so I tend to go a little easier than your average Leatherneck when it comes to being snarky about the Army.

Say what veterans of service in a different uniform will about it (mostly in jest), our Army is the finest military outfit of its kind anywhere in the world. It’s an organization with a long and storied history that stretches from the ragtag Continental Army of 1775, through some 86 brutal campaigns in all our nation’s military endeavors ranging from global world wars to guerilla fights in obscure locations. Along the way, our Army has molded and matured generations of Americans making them better citizens. The United States Army regularly produces men and women who understand concepts like discipline, courage, and selfless service from first-hand experience.

That’s a national service that nothing other than the American military can render. And the majority of our veterans—volunteers and draftees from the days when that was a rite of passage in this country—served in the United States Army. They may have stayed for a full career in uniform or bailed ASAP after a short stint, but those soldiers all came away with a degree of discipline, determination, and self-confidence. Tough times in civilian life often didn’t seem so intimidating when veterans reflected on what they went through in the Army.

Beyond combat where American soldiers regularly excel, the Army has contributed a great deal of things—some vast and others trivial—to the fabric of our nation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been particularly significant in nation building. Many of our highways, railroads, and inland waterways were surveyed and developed by Army Engineers although they seldom get credit for such profound contributions. I’m here to testify on behalf of U.S. Army contributions to medicine and the development of the life-saving helicopter in combat. I wouldn’t be if it weren’t for a couple of recklessly brave Army aviators sent to Vietnam through the high school to flight school program who flew through a wall of incoming rounds to pull my shot-up posterior out of a firefight and on to medical treatment at one of their evac hospitals. One of my most vivid memories from that time is hearing Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” blaring from the crew chief’s boom box.

If you drive a Jeep, rock a pair of Ray-bans, or enjoy the occasional can of Pringles, you owe a nod to our United States Army. All of those things and a whole lot more were developed from Army concepts. The ubiquitous Jeep entered service with the Army back in 1940, served through Korea and Vietnam, and still rolls in civilian versions on our highways today. Ray-bans were an innovation from World War II when Army Air Corps flight crews needed shade from sun glare at extreme altitudes. It was Army Quartermaster scientists who originally came up with the idea of dehydrated potato chips that eventually morphed into Pringles. And a can of Pringles beats a box of crayons, so it’s Army – 1, Marine Corps – 0 in the snack competition.

Maybe I’m not the only observer who appreciates the Army’s illustrious history. Happy to see the soldiers sporting the retro-look in their new dress uniforms. Nice homage and it may just get the service over its consistent obsession with hats which includes options from multi-colored berets to cavalry slouch hats. Oops, that was a little snarky. Apologies hereby rendered along with a snappy salute for our United States Army—recognizing 250 years of brave and steadfast service.

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