Springfield, Ill. –
On June 14, the United States Army turns 250 years old. Over those two and a half centuries the Army has evolved and changed. It established our nation and generations of Soldiers have since defended America.
When the U.S. Army was born, our victory in the American Revolution was not certain. Colonial militia, today’s National Guard, had already fought at Lexington and Concord and seized Fort Ticonderoga before the Continental Army was established on June 14, 1775.
The American Revolution was fought against the British Empire, the superpower of its time. It took eight long years of both victory and defeat to secure our independence. We also received help from our French Allies, the same nation that gave us the Statue of Liberty a century later. Lady Liberty now stands in New York Harbor, a city that was still in British hands when the American Revolution officially ended with the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783.
So why the history lesson? Because I want you to realize that the U.S. Army’s position as the world’s premiere land-warfare fighting force is not preordained. The first chapter of the Army’s new Field Manual 1, published May 1, 2025, starts by quoting President Ronald Reagan:
“Freedom is a fragile thing. It’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not in our inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation for it only comes once to a people.”
Each generation must have people, like you, willing to give their all to defend our freedom. We are the best. You can be proud that we are the best. We have an incredible ability to innovate and adapt to new challenges.
In the American Revolution we had the long rifle, unconventional tactics, and elaborate intelligence networks. In World War II, the Culin hedge cutters on the front of Sherman tanks helped us break out of the hedgerows after D-Day. In Iraq, Soldiers crafted “hilly billy” armor to protect themselves from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) before American industry could send more resistant vehicles. The inventive mind of the American Soldier is like no other and our history is filled with examples of our Soldiers inventing and adapting.
Unfortunately, our enemies have also learned to adapt through our history. The IED is a particularly painful example in the Illinois National Guard’s recent history. Our ability to innovate is just a small part of what makes us the best fighting force on earth.
We can be proud of being part of the world’s premiere fighting force but let’s not let pride turn to hubris. We need to be confident, not cocky, as we face competition from ‘near peer’ adversaries. Let’s keep our eyes wide open as we prepare to defeat new threats.
I’m confident that we will defeat future enemies. My confidence is not based on American innovation. It is based on the American Spirit – the spirit which unites us.
This spirit – this ideal – is expressed eloquently in the Declaration of Independence “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
There is no hardship you will not endure and no sacrifice you will not make when you are fighting for the freedom of your people and for the freedom of future generations. This was true for the Soldiers of the American Revolution as it is true for America’s Warriors today.
This we’ll defend!
Happy 250th Birthday to the United States Army and to each Soldier who stands as a guardian of freedom.
Always Ready, Always There!
RODNEY C. BOYD
Major General, ILARNG
The Adjutant General