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Today in American History: June 14th, 1775 Happy Birthday to the Army! 250 years ago today, the US Army was formed as the Continental Army under George Washington's command. 21 of our Presidents have served in the Army: George Washington (1st): Commander of the Continental Army. James Monroe (5th): Served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Andrew Jackson (7th): Served in the Continental Army as a courier and later in the U.S. Army as a major general. William Henry Harrison (9th): Served in the U.S. Army, notably as a general in the War of 1812. Zachary Taylor (12th): Career U.S. Army officer, major general in the Mexican-American War. Franklin Pierce (14th): Served as a brigadier general in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. James Buchanan (15th): Served briefly in a militia unit under Army command during the War of 1812. Abraham Lincoln (16th): Served briefly in the Illinois militia under Army command during the Black Hawk War. Andrew Johnson (17th): Served as a military governor with Army ties during the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant (18th): Career U.S. Army officer, commanding general during the Civil War. Rutherford B. Hayes (19th): Served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, rising to major general. James A. Garfield (20th): Served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, reaching major general. Chester A. Arthur (21st): Served in the New York militia under Army command during the Civil War. Benjamin Harrison (23rd): Served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, rising to brigadier general. William McKinley (25th): Served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt (26th): Served in the U.S. Army’s volunteer cavalry (Rough Riders) during the Spanish-American War. Harry S. Truman (33rd): Served in the U.S. Army during World War I, reaching colonel in the reserves. Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th): Career U.S. Army officer, Supreme Allied Commander in World War II. John F. Kennedy (35th): Served in the U.S. Army briefly before transferring to the Navy during World War II. Ronald Reagan (40th): Served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II (then part of the Army). George H.W. Bush (41st): Served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II before transferring to the Navy.