Washington's Birthday is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of our nation’s first President. It is popularly known as "Presidents Day" and used as an opportunity to remember all presidents, not just George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is also in February.
With that in mind, we consulted the National Constitution Center to learn about presidential connections to the military. For example, did you know George Washington was still in the Army at the time of this death? And that Abraham Lincoln served for three months in the Black Hawk War of 1832, where his job was to bury the dead? Of the 43 men who have served as President (remember: Grover Cleveland served twice):
- 31 had some type of military experience, either in active duty, reserves or in a militia;
- 12 held the title of General during their careers; and
- 3 (Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter) were educated at military academies.
Perhaps right now one of our America’s future presidents is serving in one of our military branches, gathering leadership skills and experience to take him or her to the highest levels of service. MFRI thanks all who have served, as well as their families. Happy Presidents Day!