Ints Kalnins/REUTERS
Paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the US Army in Europe take part in the "Black Arrow" military exercise in Rukla, May 14, 2014
On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia voted to "adopt" troops in Boston and New York City, forming the force that, in the centuries since, has become the US Army.From it start as state militias joined together to fight the fearsome British redcoats, the US Army has gone on to become the strongest fighting force in the world.
The US Army, the largest branch of the US armed forces, is charged with land-based operations, drawing on some of the best technology in the world to do it.
On the US Army's 242nd birthday, you some photos of its storied history below.