The Army traces its birth to 14 June 1775 when the Continental Congress called for the formation of ten companies of expert rifleman. George Washington was the Army's first commander. The Army is the nation's oldest and largest service and its flag has 183 campaign streamers. http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/campaigns.html The Army's history is the nation's history. Even a quick scan can cause one's eyes to roll as well known names like Lexington, Gettysburg, Normandy, TET, Liberation of Afghanistan or Iraq merge with names like Chapultepec, Apaches, Peking, Ryukyus and theThird Korean Winter. When all the Army's campaign streamers are attached, the Army flag weighs approximately 30 lbs or the weight of an M240 machinegun, a suitable metaphor for the 80% share of freedom's bill paid in blood over our nation's 237 years. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf