Certificate of Merit Medal (Obsolete) | |
Distinguished Service Cross | |
Distinguished Service Medal | |
Soldier's Medal | |
Army Commendation Medal | |
Army Achievement Medal |
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION*
The Army was
created on June 14, 1775, when the Continental Congress first authorized
the muster of troops to serve under its own authority. Those soldiers came
from the provincial forces of the colonies, which were at that time laying
siege to Boston. From its birth, the American Army has relied on the citizen
soldier, exemplified by the militia and the Minutemen who fought the British
at Lexington and Concord. Commanded by General George Washington and supported
by our French allies, the Continental Army ultimately defeated the British
at Yorktown and secured the freedoms so eloquently stated in the Declaration
of Independence.
The legal basis for a military establishment is clearly set forth in the Constitution. In Articles I and II, the framers codified the principle of civilian control over the armed forces of the United States. They specified that Congress alone would have the power to raise and support armies, to declare war, and to make rules concerning captures on land and water. They further provided that the President, as the Nation's Chief Executive, would be the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. This responsibility, coupled with treaty-making authority, the power to appoint federal officers, and the requirement to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed," provides the principal constitutional bases for Presidential direction of national security affairs. Thus, the responsibility for providing the nation's defense through the armed forces of the United states is constitutionally shared by civilian officials in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government.
*Adapted from
Department of Defense Directive 5100.1
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