Throughout the history of warfare, there has been a desire for religious guidance and assistance during man’s most difficult times. These religious men not only helped in administering comfort and spiritual peace to their flocks, but at times led them into battle, assisted the wounded, and sometimes paid the ultimate sacrifice for their God and …
By Samantha Dorn Ben Salomon was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 1 September 1914. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on 1 May 2002, approximately 58 years after the heroic actions that earned him such an honor and brought about his death. Salomon’s extraordinary character and dedication to his fellow soldiers before and …
James Wilkinson was born in Calvert County, Maryland, probably in 1757. He studied under a private tutor and then took up medicine in Philadelphia. In the early days of the Revolution, he fought with Thompson’s Pennsylvania rifle battalion and then was commissioned a captain in the Continental Army. Wilkinson served in the siege of Boston and …
Anthony Wayne was born in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, on 1 January 1745. As a boy he attended his uncle’s private academy. Later he studied surveying and supervised a land settlement project in Nova Scotia. In 1766, he married Mary Penrose. In January 1776, Congress made him a colonel of the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion. A year later, …
Winfield Scott was born near Petersburg, Virginia, on 13 June 1786. He attended William and Mary College for a time and then studied law in Virginia. Scott then enlisted in Petersburg’s cavalry troop and subsequently became a captain in the Regular Army in 1808. Scott reported for duty in New Orleans, under the command of Major General James …
When war broke out between the United States and Spain in 1898, President William McKinley, in a move to help heal the wounds of the Civil War and reunite North and South, appointed a number of former Confederate officers to command volunteer units. One of these former rebels was Joseph Wheeler, popularly known as “Fighting …
While the origins of U.S. Army Special Forces date back to the French and Indian War and the formation of Rogers’ Rangers, the modern concepts of unconventional warfare were largely developed in World War II with the formation of several specially trained units. One of the these early Special Forces units was the First Special …
By Danny M. Johnson U.S. Army Special Forces units today trace their lineage and honors directly to the First Special Service Force (FSSF), the joint Canadian-American organization formed in July 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison, Montana. This regiment was an all-volunteer outfit with exceptionally high standards and extensive and rigorous military and physical training. …
“Knife, Fighting, Commando Type, V-42.” The Original Special Forces Knife Read More »
While the use of light tanks with the U.S. Army’s armored forces dates back to World War I, the Army’s success with light tanks has been mixed at best. In World War II, the Army’s M3 (and later M5) Stuart light tanks, armed with a 37mm main gun, were immediately outclassed by heavier armed and …
By Vince Hawkins The Viet Cong called them “Fire Dragons,” because their high volume of fire and tracer ammunition gave the appearance of a dragon’s breath. Their U.S. Army crews called them “Dusters,” due to the large clouds of dust they created as they sped across the dirt roads of Vietnam. The M42 was a …
The Army Historical Foundation is the designated official fundraising organization for the National Museum of the United States Army.
We were established in 1983 as a member-based, charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We seek to educate future Americans to fully appreciate the sacrifices that generations of American Soldiers have made to safeguard the freedoms of this Nation. Our funding helps to acquire and conserve Army historical art and artifacts, support Army history educational programs, research, and publication of historical materials on the American Soldier, and provide support and counsel to private and governmental organizations committed to the same goals.
