Military Appreciation Day in Raleigh, NC
I was listening to the radio earlier this week. Well, in all honesty, I listen to the radio nearly every day of my life. But, the particulars in this story happened a couple days back. It wasn’t anything significant, really, and in fact it was something rather regular. Another listener called the deejay and asked him to play a song they’d wanted to hear. A request! That got me to thinking a little bit, because people request songs on the radio all the time, but no one ever calls TV stations to request shows they’d like to see. Haha! Wouldn’t that be incredible if we could do that?!?! Then something ironic happened to me. Not long after I’d heard the caller request a song, I opened an email from a friend who read my last blog, and they made a request to me! I was like, whoa, man, get off my brain wave! Anyway, my friend told me that she enjoyed reading about the origins of the individual branches of the military, and wanted to hear a little bit more about the Army, Navy, and Marines. So… out by request… hee hee!!!
In my last blog, I talked about Armed Forces Day, and how it’s kind of a consolidated birthday for the five branches of the U.S. military. Of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, the Army is the first to celebrate a birthday. It was founded on June 14, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized enlistment of riflemen to serve the United Colonies for one year. But the Army has sort of an unofficial birthday as well. Just a couple years earlier, on March 3, 1773, The Continental Army was created by the Continental Congress as a unified army for the states to fight Great Britain during the Revolutionary War, with George Washington as its commander. It’s the branch of the armed forces responsible for land-based military operations. In June, 1784, Congress created the United States Army to replace the Continental Army, which was disbanded at the conclusion of the war. Today, the U.S. Army is the largest of our military branches, behind the strength of over one million soldiers between the Regular Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve.
Not so long after the creation of the Continental Army, a Navy was also established. Not long at all, in fact. A little less than four months separate the birth of the U.S. Navy (October 13, 1775) from the U.S. Army. George Washington was also integral in the creation of the Navy. Seeing that the English were arriving to North America by boats, it made tactical sense to protect shipping routes in the early stages of the Revolutionary War. The Navy also shares a similar history to that of the early Continental Army. Not long after the conclusion of the war, the Navy was all but disbanded in order to save money.
The roots of the U.S. Marine Corps go hand in hand with the Navy. Logically, you would have to think so, right? Marine. It’s an adjective meaning, of the sea. In fact, the word “marine” means “navy” in several European languages. The Marine Corps was founded to serve as an infantry unit aboard naval vessels, responsible for the security of the ship and crew. Formed by Captain Samuel Nicholas, two battalions of Continental Marines (the early predecessor to today’s USMC) were established on November 10, 1775. The mission of the Continental Marines had multiple purposes, but their most important duty was as a security force, protecting the Captain of a ship and his officers. During naval engagements surrounding the Revolutionary War, Marine sharp shooters sat at the tops of the ships’ masts, and were supposed to shoot the opponent’s officers, gunners, and helmsmen. Like the Continental Navy, the Continental Marines were dissolved shortly after the conclusion of the war, and 15 years would pass before our second President, John Adams, would reestablish the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
As far as flags are considered, each branch of the military have different designs.
Of these three branches, the Navy is probably the most interesting of all of the lot. In fact, many of the flags flown on the early naval ships adorn designs that inspired our American Flag. The alternating red and white stripes of the American Flag were part of the Continental Navy Jack flag, which is believed to have flown aboard the Continental Fleet’s flagship, Alfred.
The official flag of the Navy is interesting in itself; It’s used primarily on land (in offices), parades, and ceremonial occasions. It is never flown by ships at sea. It does feature the Seal of the Department of the Navy in the center drawing attention to the naval fleets of the past.
The flag of the USMC is pretty jazzy in itself. It’s hot red! YAW! Just kidding. It’s actually called “battle colors.” A solid red background, with the seal of the Marine Corps, and a flowing banner below which reads “United States Marine Corps.”
If the Army had a boat in the early going, the Army would probably have flown their flag onboard. If they had a flag, that is! As odd as it may sound… seeing as the Army is the oldest of the branches, prior to 1956 the Army was the only armed service without a flag to represent the entire service. The creation of a flag was requested in 1955 to represent the Army in joint service ceremonies. The design was a simplified version of the Army Seal, with a scroll below that reads “United States Army,” with the numerals 1775 which was when it was commissioned.
The flag of the United States Air Force consists of the Air Force Seal which includes the Coat of Arms in the center and 13 white stars which represent the 13 original colonies. The 3 stars above the eagles head represent the Departments of the National Defense Establishment which are the US Army, Navy and Air Force.
The flag of the United States Coast Guard features the Great Seal of the United States sillhouetted in dark blue in the center. The shield on the eagle’s breast has a blue chief over vertical red and white stripes. Inscribed in an arc above the eagle is the name of the Coast Guard and below the eagle is the Coast Guard motto, “Semper Paratus”, which means Always Ready.
Playin’ the hits… takin’ your requests… call me now at 555-FLAG. LOL! Haha! Seriously though, I do love history, reading about it, and retelling it. So, if any of you, my faithful readers, would like to “request” a topic, gimme a shout. 
I’m always up for learning some new flag or Patriotic information so send me your feedback or leave me a comment!
Lexi
Posted by Lexi the Vexillologist 
