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Researched by ScottS. |
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The U.S. Military is made up of five armed forces that protect our
country. They are the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast
Guard. All of these groups are important to the safety of our
country.
Army
The Army started on June 14, 1775. It was established to protect our
country from the British during the Revolutionary War. The Army is the
oldest group in the military and it is also the biggest with 490,000
members. The Army is our military land force. Most of their
fighting occurs on land.
The Army has many specially trained units. Some units are trained
to work in the desert, in the mountains, in cities, or other special
places. One of these units is the Army Rangers. The Army Rangers are
always on duty and can be at many places in the world very quickly.
The Army is putting new technology to good use. It is making a full
body armored suit. It has battery-powered mines that are about two
inches tall and six inches long. The DH-132 armored crewman’s helmet
has sun, wind and dust goggles plus a really small microphone. The Army
can put silencers on their guns to make them quiet. In the future
the Army is going to try to build a tank that fires lasers instead of
large bullets. The future looks bright for the Army.
Navy
The Navy started on October 16, 1776 but did not come to importance
until 1794 when it had about 50 ships. It is a force that does a lot of
fighting at sea. The Navy’s job is to protect America from attacks that
come from anywhere above or below the water. The Navy is the biggest
armed forces group that has ships. It is the world’s largest water
force having 380,000 active duty members. The Navy has the second
largest number of people in the military. The Navy has 160,000 reserves.
The Navy has about 300 different kinds of ships. One kind is an
aircraft carrier, which can hold 85 airplanes and has a crew of 5,500
people. Aircraft carriers are nicknamed flat tops. Another type of ship
is a destroyer. Destroyers used to be called torpedo boat destroyers. A
very powerful ship is a submarine, which can go under water. The Navy
uses mostly submarines when they are fighting in a war. Some of the
Navy’s ships are amphibious which means they can travel on land and
water.
The Navy has specially trained units like the Army. One of them is the
Navy Seals. Navy Seals are highly trained in water combat. The
Navy is also the home of the Blue Angels, which are a squadron of
highly trained fighter jet pilots.
The Navy is trying to build a ship that will travel at 50 miles an
hour. It is also trying to make smaller computers. The Navy is making a
lot of progress in technology.
Air Force
The Air Force was originally part of the US Army. It became its
own force during World War I on May 20, 1918 under the direction of
President Woodrow Wilson. The Air Force has more airplanes than any
other group in the military and the largest fleet of airplanes in the
world. The Navy also has a very large fleet of airplanes but not as
many as the Air Force. The Air force has about 368,000 people. It is
the newest branch of the military.
The Air Force has played important roles in America’s wars. The Air
Force protects our country from air attacks. They can also protect the
land and sea forces. They dropped two million tons of bombs during
World War II. This included the atomic bomb that the B-29 bomber
dropped on the Japanese. The A-10A Thunderbolt has a gating gun and
flies low and slow to protect the troops on the ground. An ace pilot is
highly trained to shoot down enemy aircraft.
The Air Force is making high tech missiles that can travel more than
1,000 miles per hour. An ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile) can fly 10,000 miles from one continent to another. The B-52
Stealth bomber can avoid the enemy’s radar. The Air Force is another
branch of the U.S. Military that is putting technology to good use.
Marines
On November 10, 1775 before the Declaration of Independence was
established the U.S. Congress authorized two battalions of Marines. The
Marines are the military's "everything force". Their emblem is an
eagle, globe and anchor representing air, land and sea. They have
ships, airplanes and tanks. The Marines have about 179,000 people
and are the smallest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The Marines’ core values are honor, courage and commitment. They are
usually the first to see action because they are always battle
ready. The Marines are expeditionary, meaning they don’t occupy
foreign lands for long periods of time. They take only who they need on
their missions.
The Marine Corps has a Mountain Warfare Training Center that provides
mountain and cold weather training. This prepares Marines for extreme
conditions. The Marines use computer designed uniforms and unmanned
aerial vehicles. The Marines are a small, specially trained force that
is prepared for almost any situation.
Coast Guard
The Coast Guard was originally the Revenue Cutter Service and was
started in 1790. The officers had permission to board any vessels that
entered United States waters and to examine their cargoes. It is the
nation’s oldest continuous seagoing force and has about 38,000 members
today. The Coast Guard’s activities are directed toward five main
purposes (1) safety, (2) national defense, (3) maritime security, (4)
mobility, and (5) protection of the environment. The Coast Guard and
the Navy work together in many things. In wartime, the Coast Guard
serves as part of the Navy.
The Coast Guard maintains a fleet of several hundred ships and boats
that can do many different jobs, such as patrolling our oceans’ shores
and inland waterways. They also maintain many different types of
aircraft, including cargo planes, jets and helicopters, which are used
for patrol, law enforcement, and search and rescue
missions.
All Coast Guard vessels are armed. Weapons used by the Coast Guard
range from 9-millimeter pistols, M-16 rifles, and machine guns on small
patrol vessels to 76-millimeter cannons on large cutters. The Coast
Guard is making great progress in technology and is helping to protect
our country from terrorism.
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