FORT BELVOIR, Va. – With 50 state flags waving in a light breeze in front of Garrison Headquarters, Fort Belvoir observed the Army’s 251st birthday, June 10. Col. David Stewart, garrison commander and event host, noted the fitting connection between Flag Day and the Army Birthday.
“For more than two and a half centuries, Soldiers have stood beneath our flag in defense of its ideals and what it represents,” Stewart said. “One day before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress established the Army. Since that day, generations of Americans have answered the call to serve, often in times of uncertainty and always in service to something greater than themselves.”
Stewart noted that while the nature of warfare has changed drastically in those 251 years, the character of Soldiers holds fast.
“One thing remains constant,” Stewart said. “Success ultimately depends upon the quality of the men and women who serve in uniform; their character, their competence, their commitment to one another and to one nation.”
Former Army infantry and Special Forces officer Tim Dill, now the Assistant Secretary of War for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, delivered the keynote address. He congratulated the Army and Fort Belvoir on the observance, and said the Army is focused on Secretary of the War Pete Hegseth’s three priorities: rebuild the military, reestablish deterrence and restore the warrior ethos to meet President Donald Trump’s vision of peace through strength.
“Our team is assisting in rebuilding the military by continuing to attract the finest talent that America has to offer,” Dill said. “In the last fiscal year, we didn't just meet recruiting goals; we saw young American men and women volunteering to serve in numbers we hadn't seen in 15 years.”
“From George Washington building leaders based on competence and not on aristocracy, to the expansion of Officer Candidate School in World War II, to the dawn of the all-volunteer force which we maintain today, the Army has always been an engine of meritocracy and upward mobility on behalf of our nation,” Dill said.
Tammy Mannarino, co-chair of the Fairfax County History Commission, spoke about the unique location of Fort Belvoir. She called it an appropriate place to honor the Army’s history, as a teen-aged George Washington was taught his surveying skills by Lord Fairfax, whose mansion was on a Fort Belvoir hilltop in what is now Fairfax Village, next to the Potomac River.
“The Fairfaxes gave Washington practical experience in surveying and facilitated his appointment as a surveyor in Culpeper, Virginia,” Mannarino said. “A few years later, in 1752, George's surveying experience and support from the Fairfaxes ensured his appointment as colonel and commander of the Virginia Regiment.”
Just south of Fort Belvoir lies the home of another founding father, George Mason, who assisted Washington in setting up supply chains and funding for the Army that Washington was leading. Mannarino said their collaboration lasted throughout the Revolutionary War.
She noted we still abide by Mason’s advice found in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was used by the Continental Congress to draft America’s Bill of Rights. As the Army celebrates its 251st birthday, it is a reminder that this institution was built on a foundation of democratic principles. George Mason's tenet, that "in all cases, the military should be under strict subordination to, and governed by the civil power," profoundly shaped the Army's enduring stability. This principle of civilian control established the ethical and legal bedrock of the armed forces. For over two and a half centuries, it has ensured the Army's immense capability remains accountable to the American people through its elected leaders and is dedicated to defending the Constitution.