Military
Branch of the Month
The United States Army serves as the land-based branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Section 7062 of Title 10, U.S. Codedefines the purpose of the army as:
Preserving the peace and security and providing for the defense of the United States, the Commonwealth and possessions, and any areas occupied by the United States
Supporting the national policies
Implementing the national objectives
Overcoming any nations responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of the United States
Founded: June 14, 1775
Headquarters: The Pentagon Arlington County, Virginia
Founders: The Second Continental Congress
Notable Member of the Army
Colin Powell
A native of Harlem and the South Bronx in New York City, Colin Powell joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at the City University of New York and upon graduation was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, from 1962-63 and 1968-69. In 1963, Powell was wounded by a punji-stick booby trap near the Vietnamese border with Laos; he was awarded the Purple Heart and later the Bronze Star for his injuries. During his second tour, he was injured in a helicopter crash, though he managed to help his fellow soldiers from the burning aircraft and earned the Soldier’s Medal for his actions.
After Vietnam, Powell continued to rise in the military ranks, winning the post of national security adviser to Ronald Reagan in 1987 and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George H.W. Bush. He retired from the military in 1993. Despite widespread encouragement to run for president in the 1990s, Powell declined to throw his name into the ring, and in 2001 he became the country’s first African American secretary of state, in the administration of George W. Bush. Powell served as Secretary of State until 2005. He died from complications of COVID-19 in October 2021 at age 84.