Every now and again I feel it is necessary to visit the story of how this great nation was forged and the wars that brought us to the place where we exist today. Without reviewing our heritage and the battles fought to found and decide the fate of this great country, such events can easily be lost in our mind – forgetting such things would be a terrible tragedy and an awful waste.
Before our nation was called the United States, there existed 13 colonies or states that often disagreed with one another. At this time, each state had its own militia, which was on a voluntary basis. Since the constitution was drafted, the Federal Government has maintained the authority to raise an Army as well as a Navy.
The first battles that the state militias fought in were against Native Americans. During this time, the United States was still under the control of Great Britain so they did not have need for a large Army capable of fighting off other nations. Some of the battles waged against Native Americans were for noble reasons. However many raids on Native American camps were little more than early attempts at ethnic cleansing. It is a regrettable topic, but it is important to realize that our military did make mistakes early on as any military will do. I believe it is important to hold our mistakes to the light of day just as we publicize our victories and noble pursuits. In this way, we as a nation are able to learn from the pitfalls and mistakes of past generations while realizing the greatness they achieved as well. If you have any thoughts about the history of our military or nation, please feel free to share them. In the days ahead, I will be giving a broad overview of the history of our great United States Military.
