Free Printables About the U.S. Army

May is Military Appreciation Month, and there is no other military member I appreciate more than my brother-in-law. I will tell you more about him in a bit. Military Appreciation Month is a great time to teach about the branches of service, and these free printables about the U.S. Army can help.

[series_meta]

My brother-in-law is one of the coolest and literally, nicest guys I know. That being said, he is also probably one of the toughest men I know, ever (along with my husband, of course).

He is a Sergeant First Class (SFC) in the United States Army, holding a current job as an OCT or Observe Coach Trainer.

He is so sweet. I asked him what that was, and he said it was “advising units on how to conduct their training.”

Well, I looked it up. An OCT is so much more than that. This is what the definition online said:

An intelligence officer responsible for training, mentoring and providing feedback to battalion intelligence sections. It sounds like if I knew anything else, I probably had to be offed. So, I will leave it at that.

Of course, I am kidding. However, what I am NOT joking about is how proud I am to be related to someone who has served our country faithfully and bravely for so many years. He is an amazing dad, uncle, and provider for his family.

If any other U.S. Army soldiers are half the person he is, then we can be really proud of the men and women who fight to keep our country safe.

Teaching your child about the Army can be super exciting for your kids. There is a certain mystique about the Armed Forces that intrigues children all over America.

What is the Army?

The United States Army, specifically, is the branch of the United States Armed Forces that deals with land-based missions and operations. The members of the U.S. Army are called soldiers who serve a tour of duty and are trained in a variety of weapons, equipment, and skills to carry out service commands.

When teaching my kids about this branch of service, we learned some pretty cool facts about it.

Here are a few things that my kids and I found interesting:

Do you know how old the U.S. Army is?

It is even older than the birth of our nation! We celebrate the birth of our nation on July 4 for the year 1776. The Continental Army was created in 1775, led by George Washington to develop a defense against the British before gaining independence.

George Washington set the stage for future presidents.

Most of the presidents who have served in the U.S. Military have served in the Army. Out of all the men who have been president, 31 had military service, and 24 served in the Army.

Did you know the Army owns land, lots of land?

The United States Army owns a lot of land, so much that if it were a state, it would be larger than that of Hawaii and Massachusetts. – It would be the 42nd largest state or 10^th largest city, in fact.

The soldiers serve in about 158 installations worldwide, and it owns over 15 million acres of land across the nation. That is approximately 24,000 square miles total.

The U.S. Army is the second-largest employer in America.

As of 2017, the Army has over 1 million active-duty and reserve soldiers employed. That doesn’t include the 400,000 plus civilians and contracted personnel. The Army is the second-largest employer only to Walmart, which has over 2 million people on the payroll.

Check out more interesting facts in this article from the USO, 33 Army Trivia Facts That May Surprise You.

These resources will help you teach all about our military services:

26 Movies for Kids Based on Wars and the Military

Learn About the Different Branches of the Military

Learning About Famous Military Leaders: FREE Worksheets and Unit Studies

Grab these free printables about the U.S. Army:

Making Cards for Soldiers: All You Need to Know! | In the Spirit of Christmas

FREE Military/Army Printables | Raising Our Kids

Thank You, Hero! (FREE Printables) | A Cupcake for the Teacher

Armed Forces Day FREE Coloring Pages | USA-Printables

Say Thank You to Our Troops with A Care Package and FREE Card | The Resourceful Mama

Military Alphabet and Military Expressions | MilitaryAlphabet.net

FREE Coloring Pages – U.S. Army Insignia | Honking Donkey

Printable Army Dog Tags (FREE) | Printable Treats

U.S. Armed Forces FREE Notebooking Page | Homeschool Helper Online

FREE Printable Military/Army Anthems | Flanders Family Homelife

Soldier FREE Brainstorming Activity to Print | Enchanted Learning

FREE SAMPLER – US ARMY SONG Easy Chimes & Bells Arrangement Caisson Song | Joyful Music

Army Coloring Pages (FREE) | Cool2BKids

FREE Army Vehicles Coloring Pages | Super Coloring

This may be a great time to talk to your kids about the God’s Army:

I’m in the Lord’s Army FREE Printable Pack | Simple Living Creative Learning

Gideon’s Army of 300 – FREE Bible lesson for under 5s | TruewayKids.com

Your kids will enjoy these cool Army crafts:

FREE Printable Veterans Day Military Branches Puzzles | Fantastic Fun and Learning

Super Easy Paper Soldier – Kid Craft | Glued to My Crafts

Popsicle Stick Soldier Puppet – Military Kid Craft | Glued to My Crafts

U.S. Military FREE Coloring Pages | Year-Round Homeschooling

Military Veterans FREEBIE | Little School on the Range

If your kids love all things Army or military, then keep these FREE Army birthday party printables handy:

Camouflage Military Kid’s Birthday Party – FREE Food Label Printables | Super Mommy

Army Party Prep (Stencil Tutorial & FREE Printables) | Great Fun 4 Kids

FREE Army Logo Color Book Page | deSIGNery

If you can’t tell I am pro-military. It supported my daughter and me for 7 years and took us all around the world. Above these personal things which I am grateful for, I sleep better at night knowing they are out there fighting for our freedoms.

Let’s teach our kids about the important branches of service in America.