Saturday, May 15, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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Today is Armed Forces Day, which celebrates the men and women serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy.
The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of our nation’s armed forces.
1. Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress which powers?
A. The power to provide and maintain a navy
B. The power to raise and support armies
C. The power to declare war
D. All of the above
2. The oldest infantry unit has been active since 1784. What is it called?
A. Old Iron Sides
B. Yellow Jackets
C. Old Guard
D. Devil Dogs
3. Who is the current U.S. Secretary of Defense and in what branch of the military did he serve?
A. James Mattis and Marines
B. Lloyd Austin and Army
C. Chuck Hagel and Army
D. Donald Rumsfeld and Navy
4. Approximately how many military bases does the United States have in how many countries?
A. 500 bases in 50 countries
B. 600 bases in 60 countries
C. 700 bases in 70 countries
D. 800 bases in 80 countries
5. Which U.S. military base is considered to be the largest in the world?
A. Fort Hood in Texas
B. Eglin Air Force Base in Florida
C. Fort Bragg in North Carolina
D. Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington
6. Who is the only U.S. president to have served as an enlisted military man, but who did not become an officer?
A. James Buchanan
B. Dwight D. Eisenhower
C. Franklin Pierce
D. Zachary Taylor
7. Fewer than 100 people have been bestowed the title “Honorary Marine,” as has one famous cartoon character.Which character was it?
A. Mighty Mouse
B. Popeye
C. Bugs Bunny
D. Elmer Fudd
8. What year did President Harry Truman issue Executive Order 9981 barring discrimination in the military “on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin” and beginning the process of desegregation of the armed forces?
A. 1945
B. 1948
C. 1951
D. 1953
9. When did the first female cadets enter West Point?
A. 1976
B. 1982
C. 1987
D. 1991
10. Which of the following apply to World War II’s 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team?
A. Primarily composed of second-generation American citizens of Japanese dissent
B. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal in 2010
C. Unit motto was “Go for Broke”
D. All of the above
ANSWERS: 1-D, 2-C, 3-B, 4-D, 5-C, 6-A, 7-C, 8-B, 9-A, 10-D
Jennifer D. Keene is a member of the Ashbrook Center faculty and curator of Ashbrook’s compilation “World War II: Core Documents”; she is also a professor of history and chair of the History Department at Chapman University. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.
