The US Military has been protecting
Americans for hundreds of years - and it’s developed a lot of secrets in that time. Here are fifty surprising
facts about the US military. #50. Older Than You Know A country’s first business after being founded
would probably be to create a military, right? Well, in the United States, they didn’t have to -
they already had one. About thirteen months before the United States declared independence,
the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution creating a united Continental Army. It
would be led by George Washington, and the army was trained in preparation for increasingly
likely hostilities with the British Crown. So at least in this country, the US
Army is older than the United States! And it’s grown a lot since then! #49. Bigger Than You Know The military is run today by the US Department
of Defense, and it’s laid claim to a large swath of land. It controls federal land in the
US, land it leases abroad, and land the US Government has claimed as territory in
past military engagements. Altogether, that comes to around thirty million acres of
land worldwide. Not only is that larger than the state of Pennsylvania, but if all combined,
it would be larger than all but 99 countries. And it’s a path to success. #48. Honored Men You’d think that most people who become US
Presidents probably grew up in the elites - and they might be less likely to serve. But actually,
around two-thirds of the men who became US Presidents were US military veterans - starting
with the very first, George Washington. The most decorated was probably Theodore Roosevelt, who
even received the Medal of Honor. Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower were probably
the most renowned Generals in the Civil War and World War II. But we’re in a dry spell
right now - of the last five Presidents, only one served in the military, and George W. Bush
only served stateside in the Air National Guard. And it came from humble beginnings. #47. No, not Gorillas During the first days of the military, the US
Army didn’t have much to work with. They were ill-equipped, only had a short time to train,
and were facing one of the world’s largest empire. But they had one advantage
- they were on their home turf, and they knew how to use it. General Francis
Marion took full advantage of the swampy terrain and used it for surprise attacks
against unsuspecting British patrols. The US soldiers would emerge from the
swamp, attack, and just as quickly retreat rather than engaging - a tactic that would
become the blueprint for modern guerilla warfare. But today, it’s spread pretty thin. #46. All Over the Place There are 195 recognized countries in the
world - and the US military is present in over two-thirds of them! Of the US military’s
three million current employees, 450,000 of those are soldiers deployed to foreign countries. But
the US isn’t involved in any current wars, since we withdrew from Afghanistan - so what exactly are
we doing there? It’s complicated. While in some countries the US is engaged in active operations
against terror groups, in others they’ve been invited in as peacekeepers or to maintain a
presence as a deterrent. The US also has permanent military bases on the soil of many of their
allies that coordinate with other militaries. But what happens when the
US is considering leaving? #45. Cash Cow For many years, budget-conscious politicians
and activists in the US wondered - why does the US still have military bases in places
like Europe? After all, that’s not exactly a military flashpoint anymore. Okay, that take
aged pretty poorly - but people still wondered if bases in places like Germany were worth the
investment. Well, if you asked the Germans, they were. When word got out that the US was
considering closing bases in some locations, the locals were strongly opposed - the
local economy was heavily based around the presence of United States soldiers, and
they didn’t want to face a budget crunch. And the US military has a lot of mouths to feed. #44. Top of the Heap The top employer in the United States? It’s
not Exxon-Mobil, the largest energy company, which has just under a million
employees. It’s not even Walmart, the mega-sized shopping chain, which has 1.3
million. It’s the United States Department of Defense, which in addition to all the active-duty
and reserve soldiers, maintains enough civilian personnel to have a whopping total staff of
three million people. And unlike many businesses, it’s going to be around as long as the
US is - so that’s a lot of job security. And it keeps on growing. #43. Recruits Welcome Each year, the military takes in around
79,000 new recruits. The US Army alone has more people in it than major cities like San
Francisco - and it’s only one of five branches, with the smaller Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, and
Marines joining it. Today, all five branches of the military are volunteer only, with recruits
getting details on their pay rate and all the potential benefits they’ll get after they complete
their term. Many people’s first exposure to the military is at recruitment fairs - where they
often make it sound like an awesome adventure. But it wasn’t always this way. #42. Anyone Feel a Draft? For the US military’s first eighty years,
it was also mostly an all-volunteer force, and it was capable of winning
both the American Revolution and the British revenge strike in the War
of 1812. But then came the Civil War, as the US split in two - and the Confederacy
took a lot of the military’s manpower with it. Soon, both armies were instituting the US’ first
military draft, requiring people to sign up under penalty of law. It didn’t go over well - many
people were angry about how some were able to buy their way out of the draft, and it led
to bloody riots in New York City. But it worked - and the draft would be brought back
for the two World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. But it wasn’t the time young men
had to check the mail nervously. #41. A Draft…Just In Case The first peacetime draft was created in
1940, but was it really peacetime? Everyone knew that World War II would likely make its
way over to the United States eventually - and Pearl Harbor proved them right. But the
second peacetime draft was more controversial. Passed in 1948, it wasn’t as wide-spread but it
deployed countless young men around the world just in case they were needed when hostilities
with the Soviet Union broke out. There was no formal declaration of war, but many men drafted
under this law wound up in Korea or Vietnam. And there was no allowance for celebrities
- if your number came up, you had to serve. Even if you were Elvis. #40. The King in Fatigues When the King was drafted in 1958, there was no
war going on - something his millions of fans were no doubt happy about. He insisted he didn’t
want to be treated any differently than the average soldiers, despite the mob of fans waiting
for him as he arrived at boot camp. He served as a private, did his duty quietly, and chose not to
apply for a transfer to special services where he could have given concerts as part of his service.
His label was prepared - they had stockpiled musical material before his induction, and his
fans would barely notice he was in the army now. But one group wasn’t allowed
in the army until recently. #39. Woman’s Day Women have been aiding the military since
its beginning - but often in limited roles, or with many roadblocks in their way. A disguised
woman, Deborah Sampson, even became a decorated Revolutionary War veteran, but women weren’t
allowed to join the military until 1948. Before that, many served unofficially as spies,
nurses, or support staff - but weren’t eligible for honors despite often being in as much
danger as the armed soldiers. Since then, though, the laws have changed - and now women
are eligible to serve in all combat roles. There is, however, one exception. #38, Selective Indeed The draft has been off the table since the 1970s,
and the military does not want it back. However, all males between eighteen and twenty-five
are still required to register for selective service - which means if a draft is needed, it
can be snapped into action and people can be pulled into the military in only days. However,
it doesn’t include women - despite them being eligible for all combat roles and serving in
the same way as men. Should this change? Some say it’s only fair - and others are telling the
military to get their hands off their daughters. But not all the recruits are human, either. #37. Good Boy! There are twenty-seven hundred recruits in the
US military who don’t follow the regular rules. They don’t sleep in the barracks, they chase birds
in their off-time, and they might even greet a commanding officer by licking them. And they’re
not going to be ordered to do any push-ups, because they’re military working dogs! In a
similar way to police dogs, these elite canine soldiers are specialized in detecting narcotics
and explosive devices, but they can also patrol for enemies and chase off threats. And not just
any good boy can do this job - it takes sixteen hours of training every month, plus tests every
three months to become a military working dog. And then there’s some
surprising heavy-duty soldiers. #36. Robo-Troops! US military robots have been around since
the 1960s, when the US created the Beetle. This massive robot was designed to be
used for handling nuclear materials. They never actually saw use, but smaller robots
became an essential part of military life. Today, high-tech robots are used for all sorts
of missions, including carrying victims to safety and disarming explosive. And flying
drones have become effective ways to eliminate targets without putting troops
in harm’s way. And unlike other soldiers, these robo-troops don’t need rest and
food - just an occasional recharge. But it takes a lot of energy
to keep the military going. #35. Gas, Gas, Gas Every time you head to the gas pump, it’s hard
not to cringe. But if you think filling up a gas tank of a car is bad, imagine the cost of
trying to keep a tank or fighter jet fueled. During World War II, it took around a gallon of
fuel each day to support a single soldier - but that was with a lot of foot patrol and collective
transports. Today, with the high-powered vehicles shuttling soldiers and powerful weapons
around the battlefield, it takes around 22 gallons of fuel per day just to support one
soldier - and those costs are only going up. And all that adds up. #34. Fuel Follies Today, the US Army alone burns through
around a billion gallons of fuel each year - and that’s without a major
war going on. In a combat situation, those numbers go up massively - and fuel is
a limited resource. The Department of Defense is increasingly worried about both fuel
costs and the impact of the environment, so they’re looking into increasing the use of
alternative energy sources. Not only could this be more efficient, but it would protect the
US from an oil embargo from enemy nations. But it’s been a long time
since the US was truly at war. #33. What Is It Good For? When was the last time the US went to war?
You might be thinking of Iraq, Afghanistan, or even Vietnam. But the actual answer is -
against Japan and Nazi Germany, when they formally declared war on the Axis powers. Since then,
every military action the US has been involved in was not accompanied by a formal declaration of
war. Some were classified as police actions, others as limited military operations.
While most were authorized by Congress, in none of them did Congress vote
on a formal declaration of war. But that could change based on
something half a world away. #32. The NATO Factor Ever since the post-war founding of the North
American Treaty Organization, many countries of Europe and North America have been aligned. The
most significant part of the treaty is Article 5, which is a mutual defense pact. If one country
in the treaty is attacked by a hostile power, it means all the other countries will
consider it an attack against them as well. That means that if a small nation like Belgium
is attacked, it would have nuclear powers like the United States, Great Britain,
and France coming to its defense. No wonder many countries in Eastern
Europe want to join the alliance. But what happens if it’s NATO vs. NATO? #31. Family Feud Say a soccer match between Belgium and the
Netherlands gets out of control, and the next thing you know soldiers from both sides are
aiming guns at each other. There actually are no official bylaws on how to govern an attack by
one NATO member against another - because the treaty is supposed to prevent exactly that.
However, most legal experts believe that NATO would be obligated to assist the country that was
attacked. Of course, it’s common for parties to disagree on who started a war even if one fired
first, so there’s a good chance that NATO might wind up splitting down the middle on who to
support, with the US having to choose a side. And they would have to be careful to avoid
sending in soldiers they might not want to. #30. The Youngest Soldier You usually have to be eighteen to join
the US military - but that didn’t stop countless teenagers from signing up with
false documents during the world wars. But no one topped John Lincoln Clem for jumping
the gun. The nine-year-old boy wanted to join the Union army during the Civil War, and after
being rejected once, managed to make it in. He was so small that his superiors in
the 22nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry even sawed down his musket so he could
carry it. He was a Sergeant by age twelve, and went on to serve in the military for most
of his life - retiring as a Major General. But in terms of dedication, no one tops this guy. #29. The Oldest Soldier To find the oldest active-duty
member of the US military ever, you’ve got to head over to the Coast Guard.
When Anthony Christy was laid to rest in 1862, the 105-year-old man had a unique distinction
- he was still on active duty! How was this possible? He served as a lighthouse keeper, a job
that generally didn’t involve heavy exertion. As long as his eyes were sharp enough to do
his job, the Coast Guard had no reason to retire him - and so he kept the lighthouse
running almost forty years past retirement age. And with lot of people in the military it
means that they need a pretty big headquarters. #28. Welcome to HQ The Department of Defense runs the US Military,
and used to run all the branches. And they’re all run out of one building - the Pentagon. It’s
easy to underestimate since it’s relatively flat, but the Pentagon is one of the largest office
buildings in the world, with three times the office space of massive skyscrapers like the
Empire State Building. Holding the brains of the US military and many of its highest-ranking
officials, it’s also heavily fortified. When the Pentagon was targeted by one of the planes on
September 11th, 2001, it sustained heavy damage - but the damage was much less widespread than it
could have been in another Washington building. So wait, what’s the one exception? #27. Coastal Changes Why doesn’t the Coast Guard operate out
of the Department of Defense? It was, until post-9/11 laws handed it over to the
newly-created Department of Homeland Security. Due to the Coast Guard’s larger domestic
responsibilities, it was uncoupled from the other branches’ foreign duties. However,
a clause was put into the bill so that if the Coast Guard is needed in an active war, the
US Navy can take control of all its assets. And no matter how high someone in the military
ranks, they always answer to one person. #26. The Commander The Commander in Chief is the highest-ranking
position in the military, and they have final say over almost all areas of military policy -
up to and including deploying nuclear weapons. And they can outrank the highest Generals
without ever serving a day in the military. All they have to do is win an election - because
the President of the United States doubles as the Commander in Chief, and they’re the only ones
who can begin a military engagement - or end it. Which might get tense when a President
who never served is giving the orders. But there’s one other rank
that is impossible to reach. #25. That Fifth Star The rank of five-star General was created in 1944 to represent soldiers given special promotions
above the typical four-star rank. Over the years, only ten officers were ever granted five-star
status - four in the Navy, five in the Army, and one in the Air Force. However, there won’t
be any others - when General Omar Bradley, the last surviving five-star officer, passed
away, the military decided to retire the ranks. But there’s one person above them all in rank. #24. The General of the Armies The year was 1976, and the bicentennial
was the perfect time to honor those who made America possible. There was one man who
did more than any other - George Washington. He had been dead for 177 years, but the decision
was made to promote him to the title of General of the Armies - a position only held once before,
by World War I legend John J. Pershing. As part of the promotion, Washington was granted
permanent seniority over all US Generals and Admirals - ensuring that the father of the United
States is its highest-ranking official forever. And for decorated veterans, there’s
usually one end of the road. #23. The Final Honor Arlington National Cemetery holds the remains
of close to half a million US veterans from multiple wars, and Generals who pass away
are frequently given a place of honor there. Only two US Presidents have been
buried at Arlington - John F. Kennedy, who served with distinction in World War
II and was seriously injured in combat, and William Howard Taft. Taft never
actually served in the military, but by being a Secretary of War and Commander
in Chief, he was able to get his plot of land. But not everyone buried at Arlington
has a traditional tombstone. #22. The Unknown War is messy, and it’s not always possible to
get everyone home for a proper burial. Especially today, with high-yield bombs, it’s possible for
remains to be burned too badly to be identified. That’s where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier comes
in - a memorial to soldiers who have been buried at Arlington but never identified. There are tombs
for World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. One was created for Vietnam, but it’s currently
empty - after DNA evidence allowed the government to identify Lieutenant Joseph Blassie
and give him a proper burial in 1998. And those tombs are attended to by a unique unit. #21. The First Unit They call them the Old Guard for a reason -
they’ve been on active duty since 1784. But the 3rd US Infantry Regiment isn’t just any
unit of soldiers. They’re a ceremonial unit, serving as escorts to the US Commander
in Chief. But they also have one other key duty - the regular changing of the guard
ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. But while they’re primarily a ceremonial unit,
they have been deployed in combat - and four members of the unit have been awarded the
Medal of Honor, most recently in Vietnam. And the military’s ranks have always been diverse. #20. A Unit of Immigrants When the US military saw many of its forces
join the Confederates in the Civil War, they were bailed out by an unlikely source
- immigrants. Along with a large number of free African-Americans who wanted
to fight the slaveholding south, the Union army was one-third composed of
immigrants- and in a quarter of all regiments, the majority of soldiers were not born in
the United States. That pattern continues, and today around 5% of US forces are either
naturalized immigrants or non-citizens. Now let’s get into some truly strange facts. #19. Looking Cool You know those smooth Ray-Ban glasses you
love to wear? They didn’t come from fashion, but from necessity. When Air Force pilots were
struggling to keep their vision straight due to the rays of the sun in the cockpit, Army
Air Corps Lieutenant General John MacReady contacted glasses manufacturer Bausch and
Lomb for help to make glasses with better anti-sun properties. Soon, the first Ray-Bans
were available, pilots were flying without that persistent nausea and headaches,
and were looking good while doing it. It’s surprising just how many
companies work with the military. #18. Crack Open a Cold One Who doesn’t love an ice-cold
Coca-Cola? A little taste of home that can be a psychological
lifesaver for a struggling soldier, and the company wanted to make sure that was
possible in World War II. Company President Robert Woodruff decreed that any WWII soldier
around the world should be able to get a bottle of coke for a nickel. That led to the
creation of the technical observer position, which oversaw the management of these wartime
plants. Not only did they help distribute five billion bottles of coke around the world, but
they had an Army officer’s salary and rank. This one’s just a little awkward. #17. A Bad Symbol The 45th Infantry was a proud unit that served
in multiple US wars, and was unique due to being made up of a majority of Native American.
That led them to work indigenous iconography into their sleeve insignias, and they proudly
wore those pins into battle - at least they did until World War II. Because one of those
traditional Native symbols was the swastika, and after Hitler and the Nazis co-opted it, it was
quickly dropped and replaced with a Thunderbird. In combat, every little detail matters. #16. A Smooth Snap Velcro is a convenient tool, an easy way to
fasten clothes and items without having to stop to tie things. There’s just one problem
- that annoying ripping sound that alerts anyone in the immediate area, aka the bane
of any teenager sneaking out of the house. Of course, in a combat situation, the consequences
of waking up the wrong person might be far direr. That’s why the military developed a silent version
of velcro that reduced that annoying sound almost to nothing. Unfortunately for all those
sneaky teenagers, it’s still top-secret. The military is particular about
how they’re portrayed, as well. #15. Hollywood Military You know all those times the military swoops in
to save the day? Be it a modern war movie or a ridiculous action movie where the Army fights off
aliens, they have one thing in common - if a movie wants to portray the military, they usually work
with the Department of Defense’s entertainment unit. Many producers want to borrow military
equipment or film on military bases for accuracy, and in those cases the Department of Defense gets
script approval. Of course, they’re not too picky - some of the movies the DOD approved included
“Batman and Robin” and “Last Action Hero”! But one movie may have had a
bigger impact than any other. #14. The Top Gun When the Tom Cruise military adventure “Top Gun”
was released in 1986, Navy recruiters started hanging out around movie theaters. The men who
saw the movie suddenly thought being a pilot was the coolest thing in the world, and some even
decided they would like to sign up on the spot. According to official Navy reports, the position
of Naval Aviator saw a 500% jump in applications in the aftermath - and the brass is no doubt
excited for the sequel to finally come out. The US Military is always
prepared - in more ways than one. #13. A Useful Tool US military members who do air missions are
given a parachute pack survival kit in case they get shot down and need to survive on their
own. It includes some useful tools like wire, knives, matches, and fire starters - as
well as a large non-lubricated condom. No, the military isn’t making sure that soldiers
are able to practice safe sex while trying to survive in the jungle - condoms are stretchy, as
anyone who’s put one over their entire hand knows, so it can double up as a water canteen that
holds up to a liter of rainwater if needed! The military even has a department of…trash talk? #12. Them’s Fightin’ Words In Afghanistan, the US faced a challenge of
a motivated and ruthless Taliban opposition that knew the terrain far better than them.
It was time to call in the psychological warfare department to develop some new
tactics - and what they came up with was loudspeakers that goaded enemy fighters into
picking flights they couldn’t win by calling them names. Apparently such inventive nicknames
like “Cowardly dogs” and “Lady men” were enough, even if the tactic may have been borrowed
from the elementary school playground. And the military takes care of their own. #11. Wounded Warriors Many soldiers come back from combat with
serious injuries - some with missing limbs or other disabilities. And once they complete their
rehabilitation, there’s a new challenge waiting for them - the Warrior Games. This Olympic-like
competition pits representatives from the various branches of the military against each other
for bragging rights - with every competitor being a combat-wounded veteran. And since the
games began in 2010, the Marines have dominated. And there are some truly odd
positions in the military. #10. Devil’s Advocate When the military debate new policies,
it’s easy to fall into groupthink. Not only is there a lot of money at stake, but
there’s always a high-ranking member in the room and it’s easy to defer to him. But
if no one is willing to say no, costly mistakes can happen - which is
why some graduates at Fort Leavenworth are trained in the art of being skeptical.
These “Red Teamers” are unafraid to play devil’s advocate in heated debates, and can
save the team from the bane of consensus. And some things are older than you think. #9. Down Under The Submarine is one of the military’s most
useful tools, able to take command of the seas and deliver powerful abd clinical strikes
from underwater. It saw the most use in the World Wars - but actually goes back far
earlier than that. The Turtle, an early example of a submersible weapon, was deployed during
the Revolutionary War to sink a British ship off New York…and failed miserably, but was
an effective test of the future of weaponry. But for all the US military’s efforts,
they can leave a big footprint. #8. Eviction Notice The island of Diego Garcia, a British possession,
had a population of over a thousand people living happily on the Indian Ocean paradise
- until the US military came calling. They wanted to build a military base
there, they needed total security, and so the entire island’s population needed to
go. The British government agreed, and soon the entire population was being sent to the island of
Mauritius - which took them after a hefty payment. And the US military’s experiments
even hit the homeland. #7. Spray Test In the 1950s and 1960s, residents of
cities including San Francisco, St. Louis, and areas of Minnesota, South Carolina,
and Georgia saw something alarming - motorized blowers spraying odd, colorful substances all
over the city. It looked almost like a chemical attack - and the zinc cadmium sulfide wasn’t
a weapon, but it was related. The fluorescent substance was sprayed because the military
wanted to see how chemical or biological weapons would spread by the wind - and there was no better
way than actually spraying a close substitute. But other places got it far worse. #6. In the Depths In the aftermath of World War II, there was an
enormous amount of spare hardware to dispose of. Much of it was dangerous and couldn’t be simply
scrapped, so the government came up with another solution - just dump it in the ocean. Much
of this started after the first World War, and continued until 1970. A wide range of military
hardware was dumped such as 64 million pounds of nerve gas and other chemical weapons, plus
hundreds of thousands of bombs, rockets, and land mines. They’re still down there - but
no one really knows exactly what’s lurking where. And sometimes, the military just gets it wrong. #5. Firing at Nothing The Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942 was one of
the biggest military operations in the homeland in a long time. It was World War II, and the military
was on high alert for an attack on US soil. So when reports came in of an enemy aircraft,
the military responded with overwhelming force. They fired 1,400 anti-aircraft weapons and
countless rounds at the mystery object until it was brought down - and found that it was a lost
weather balloon. Hey, better safe than sorry. But sometimes, the military
gets pretty innovative. #4. Game Time When the military needed a new supercomputer
in 2010, they came up with many plans - but few of them were cost-effective.
The solution that did pass muster? They collected 1,700 PlayStation 3 consoles,
removed and combined much of the hardware, and wound up with an amalgam processing
core that had all the power and memory they needed - at a fraction of
the cost and the carbon footprint. And some of their ideas sound
a little like science fiction. #3. Mad Science DARPA, or the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency, is where the military’s wildest ideas start to become reality. One of those ideas?
A computer chip that could be implanted directly into the brains of soldiers. This would allow them
to connect remotely to computers without a device, which could allow vital intelligence to be put
into their minds directly from headquarters. But not all of DARPA’s ideas are that out there. #2. Master of Invention DARPA has been responsible for some of the
military’s wildest and longest-lasting inventions, but they’ve also given the general public a
lot. Two of their biggest contributions? The internet, which was heavily funded by the US
government along with private tech companies, and the GPS systems that help you
get where you’re going in the car. Both are used by the government today -
but most people couldn’t live without them. But this one last fact about
the US military might shock you. #1. Boom The US has only used the nuclear bomb twice in
combat - and they’re currently the only country to do so. But they’ve used many more nuclear
bombs than that. To develop their nuclear arsenal, they’ve conducted over a thousand nuclear
tests over the decades - more than half the number conducted around the world. 800 of
those have been underground nuclear tests, while two hundred have been atmospheric
and created the signature mushroom cloud everyone fears. But for now,
that’s all they are - tests. Want to know how the US military
stacks up against the competition? Check out “Most Powerful Military in 2022
Ranked”, or watch this video instead.
