Army honors its past and future at birthday ceremony

Current soldiers, retirees and civilian employees at the McNamara Headquarters Complex marked the Army’s 251st birthday June 11 with a ceremony headlined by Defense Logistics Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly.

Simerly connected the service’s history to its future and noted the celebration comes just weeks before the nation’s 250th anniversary. “This anniversary is a tribute to the soldiers who built that legacy, who sustained it across two-and-a-half centuries, and who continue to carry it forward today,” he said. “Generation after generation, through triumphs and trials, each soldier is a part of that story.”

Recalling the Continental Army’s early struggles and transformation under Commander-in-Chief George Washington, Simerly highlighted the role of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben, who trained an elite group at Valley Forge that then spread professional standards across the ranks. “Over time, the Americans improved in their precision, maneuver and mastery of arms,” Simerly said. “These changes gave soldiers confidence, improved morale, and — for the first time — allowed the Continental Army to fight with the cohesion of a European force.”

He said the training at Valley Forge and the victory at Yorktown formed the foundation of the Army, with lessons that resonated through pivotal moments such as Gettysburg and into future conflicts. “It was the spirit of Valley Forge that infused our soldiers as they advanced across the beaches and hedgerows of Normandy, and that met the challenges of Korea and Vietnam with courage and discipline,” Simerly said. “And it is the same professionalism that has guided our soldiers through the complex missions of the modern era — from counterinsurgency to peacekeeping to large-scale joint operations — meeting every demand with the grit and determination first forged on those frozen parade grounds in 1778.”

From those campaigns, he added, the service’s core values took shape and continue to guide the force. “You can see the roots of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage taking shape in that encampment long before those words were ever formalized in doctrine,” Simerly said. “Those values form the inheritance of every soldier who wears the uniform today — an unbroken chain of service, sacrifice and excellence stretching from Washington’s encampments to the battlefields of our own time.”

Simerly said today’s soldiers carry that legacy on missions around the world. “From cyber warfare to special operations, to humanitarian missions, to battlefield engagements — the modern soldier is trained and ready for any challenge,” Simerly said.

He also thanked the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Defense Technical Information Center and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency — which hosted the ceremony — for their support to soldiers and warfighters worldwide. “As we celebrate America’s birthday and the Army’s birthday, let us reaffirm our promise to support our soldiers and each of our service members with excellence,” Simerly said, “ensuring they have the support they need, whenever and wherever they need it.”