The Military Family Research Institute is proud to salute the United States Army, which on June 14 celebrated its 237th birthday.
The Army was created on June 14, 1775 by an act of the Continental Congress. According to the U.S. Army Center for Military History, the Congress on that date authorized 10 companies of riflemen. Within two days, the Army's Adjutant General's Corps, the Corps of Engineers, the Finance Corps, and the Quartermaster Corps had also been created.
Today, the Army is the largest of all the branches of the U.S. military. More than 1.1 million members serve on active or reserve duties or in the Army National Guard. In addition, these soldiers have more than 1.5 million family members supporting them in cities, towns and posts across the world.
MFRI works with Army families through programs like Family Journeys, a project that we have undertaken to better understand the experience of Army National Guard families throughout deployment. We also partner with the Indiana National Guard (INNG) to deliver Passport Toward Success, an evidence-based program that builds important skills for military children who have been separated due to a deployment. MFRI also collaborates with INNG, the Center for Deployment Psychology and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to provide Star Behavioral Health Providers (SBHP), a registry that helps service members and those who care about them locate civilian behavioral health professionals with special training to understand and deal with military issues.
To all the soldiers and their families who selflessly serve in the U.S. Army: Thank you for your service. We are grateful for all that you do.