Catalog of Presidents Who Served in the Military
You may not be aware of this, but a good portion of our presidents served in the military before beginning their lives of political service. In this article by Hans Petersen for va.gov we get a detailed look at the military service of former presidents, including which arm of the military they served and some of the more famous highlights of their military careers. In addition to the fascinating article, Peterson provides us with a detailed list that includes the name of each veteran president, their highest rank achieved and years served in the military. While most of the former presidents held an officer rank of one level or another, only one, James Buchanan was an enlisted man, reaching the rank of private in his year of military service. Read the full article here to get all the details on our veteran presidents.
10 Facts about Presidents who were also Veterans
In this article posted on Blog.consitutioncenter.org, they look at the military careers of ten former U.S. Presidents. Three of our former presidents held the rank of General of the Army which was the highest rank achievable at the time and they were George Washington, Ulysses Grant and Dwight Eisenhower. The article highlights so many fascinating features of each of the president’s military careers, it’s inspiring. You probably didn’t know that while Abraham Lincoln volunteered to serve in the military and while he did not fight in any battles, he was tasked with burying the war dead, which it is said changed him and greatly influenced the way he performed as president. Find out all the amazing facts by reading the full article here.
Does Military Service Still Matter for the Presidency?
In this opinion piece by retired Army officer, John Nagl writing for washingtonpost.com, the author examines how military service plays a role in the popularity and elect-ability as well as the performance of the president. A veteran of both wars in Iraq, Nagl knows how being in battle can change the way you look at things and the decisions you might make when it comes to sending troops into war. He examines how in the past, military service was almost a prerequisite for presidential consideration. However, now, for the first time in history, none of the current presidential front runners have any military experience. Lack of military experience doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t make a good president, but whoever comes into office next will be taking over the longest running war the country has ever been involved with. He makes some very salient points and you’ll want to read the full article here to get them all.
How Many U.S. Presidents have also been Veterans of Military Service?
Kenneth Kesner writing for blog.al.com gives us a few interesting facts on presidential military service. From the article we find out, among other things, that twenty four of our forty four presidents served in some branch of the military. We also learn that most of the presidents in office prior to World War II were veterans of the Army, while after that, the veteran presidents tended to come from the Navy. Get all the fun facts by reading the full article here.