Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Army of 178

You know how you are at home on the couch after a long day reading a favorite magazine, and it is just not bringing it? I felt like that last night as I paged through Army magazine, and all my favorite authors seemed like they were just not seeing the ball, kind of like Big ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
585039_090611_ricksb2.jpg
585039_090611_ricksb2.jpg

You know how you are at home on the couch after a long day reading a favorite magazine, and it is just not bringing it? I felt like that last night as I paged through Army magazine, and all my favorite authors seemed like they were just not seeing the ball, kind of like Big Papi this year.

Then, when I had just about given up hope, I turned to page 86 of Army , the last page in the magazine, and to my surprise got intrigued by an article by retired Brig. Gen. John S. Brown about the 178 campaign streamers carried on the Army flag. I used to ponder these during particularly dull hearings of the Senate Armed Services Committee — the flags are displayed up on one wall.

Some surprises to me:

  • About 90 percent of the time, the streamers represent a victory. (Confederate mileage may differ somewhat, he notes.)
  • During the six campaigns north of the Alps from D-Day to VE Day, some 136,000 Americans died. Yow.
  • At Cold Harbor, Virginia (about 20 minutes east of Richmond) 12,000 men died in a single day, in Grant’s worst battle of the Civil War.
  • The “longest continuous campaign” was against the Comanches, lasting from 1867 to 1875. (I think Iraq may beat this, but the jury is still out.)
  • But the longest single fight was against the Seminoles, which ran intermittently from 1817 to 1858.
  • Oddly, streamers have not yet been authorized for operations in Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia. I didn’t know that. Seems kind of screwy to have Medals of Honor given, but not battle streamers.
  • For fans of Samuel Huntington keeping score at home, notes Gen. Brown, “80 percent of our defeats were inflicted by people who speak English.”


Mario Tama/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On History | Military

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.