Brief Histories of U.S. Government Agencies Volume One by Michael Erbschloe - HTML preview

Military History and Museums

Military History

The United States Armed Forces date back to 1775, when America needed a defense force to protect the original 13 colonies from a British invasion. Today, there are five branches:

• The United States Army is the oldest (established June 14, 1775) and largest of the five branches. Soldiers are responsible for performing land-based military operations.
• The United States Marine Corps is the smallest of the four branches under the Department of Defense. Marines provide both land and sea support to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and, in times of war, Coast Guard.
• The United States Navy mainly operates from the waters (seas and oceans) providing protection both in the water and in the air.
• The modern-day United States Air Force is the youngest of the five branches (established September 18, 1947). Before the modern-day Air Force was created, it was an arm of the U.S. Army, dating back to 1907. Airmen are responsible for carrying out aerial military operations.
• The United States Coast Guard is the smallest of the branches and the only one that falls under the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard is multi-functional, with many peacetime missions. Coast Guard missions include: maritime search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection and ports, waterways and coastal security. 

Military Museums

Military museums offer visitors insight into the history, defining moments, and current status of the branches of the United States Armed Forces:

• The United States Army does not have an official museum but there are interactive exhibits available online as well as smaller, more focused museums located across the country.      

There is a plan in progress to develop a national museum in the Washington, DC area. 

• The National Museum of the Marine Corps is located next to the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia and features exhibits on the actions of Marines during World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
• Located in downtown Washington, D.C., the National Museum of the U.S. Navy has exhibits on different navigational tools used by the Navy as well as artifacts captured by the Navy.
• The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and features a collection of aircraft used throughout the history of the Air Force.
• The United States Coast Guard Museum is located on the campus of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, and features artifacts from the nearly 230-year history of the Coast Guard.

Military Memorials and Monuments

Across the United States, military memorials and monuments commemorate wars, battles, and those who lived and served during those times. Popular points of interest by each major war include:

American Revolution:

• Valley Forge National Historical Park is located in Pennsylvania and is a reminder of the sacrifices made by soldiers at one of the best-known locations from the American Revolution.
• Adams National Historic Park is located in Massachusetts and offers visitors a chance to see the birthplace of John Adams and John Quincy Adams.
• Morristown National Historic Park in New Jersey is a memorial to those members of George Washington’s army who survived an unusually cold winter.

War of 1812:

• The USS Constitution Museum, located in Massachusetts, provides interactive exhibits on life on the frigate as well as how the ship handled different battles.
• Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland is the location associated with the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner. 

Civil War:

• The African American Civil War Memorial & Museum in Washington, D.C. has collections and exhibits to help visitors remember the African Americans who fought in the Civil War.
• The National Park Service has an online Civil War database which contains information on the men who fought in the Civil War.
• Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia reminds visitors of some of the Civil War’s most devastating battles.
• Gettysburg National Military Park is located on the site of the Civil War’s deadliest battle – and is often referred to as the turning point of the entire war.
• The National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Maryland has exhibits on those who volunteered to take care of the sick and wounded during the Civil War.

World War I:

• The National World War I Museum & Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri has various artifacts from the war – including uniforms, tanks and weapons, and illustrations, political cartoons and soldiers' drawings created during the Great War.

World War II:

• The US Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, is located in Virginia near Arlington National Cemetery.
• The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, near Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, most notably includes the USS Arizona Memorial but does contain exhibits on all the events that occurred in the Pacific Theater during the war.
• The National WW II Memorial in Washington, D.C. is a tribute to those who served during the war – both in battle and at home.

Korean War:

• The Korean War Veterans Memorial includes 19 stainless steel statues depicting those who fought in the three-year war.

Vietnam War:

• In Washington D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has the names of the 58,000 Americans who died during the conflict etched into the walls of the monument.

Visit the National Park Service to search for more military memorials and monuments located throughout the United States. 

National Cemeteries

There are 135 national cemeteries maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs across the United States. Typically, military personnel who died on active duty, veterans, and their spouses and dependents are eligible to be buried in a national cemetery. The Department of Veterans Affairs also has a gravesite locator if you need to find the burial location of a veteran.

The most famous national cemetery—Arlington National Cemetery—is maintained by the Army and has different eligibility requirements from those maintained by the VA.

(Link: https://www.usa.gov/history#item-211555)