1. Who controls the National Guard in times of peace?

1. State governors 2. Congress 3. The Army 4. The U.S. President

2. This branch of the military operates as part of the Navy during war time.

3. This branch of the U.S. military was officially created November 10, 1775, but was disbanded in 1783 (only to be recreated a few years later).

1. Navy 2. Air Force 3. Army 4. Marine Corps

4. The United States Naval Academy is located in what state?

1. New York 2. Florida 3. Delaware 4. Maryland

5. This branch of the U.S. armed services has no official motto, but is often associated with the phrase “Non sibi sed patriae” (“Not self, but country”).

1. Marine Corps 2. Army 3. Navy 4. Air Force

6. Which World War II general went on to become a U.S. President?

7. This, the first branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to be created, was born June 14, 1775.

1. Navy 2. Marine Corps 3. Air Force 4. Army

8. Their motto, “Semper Fidelis” (often abbreviated as” Semper Fi”), means “always faithful.”

1. Marine Corps 2. Air Force 3. U.S. Coast Guard 4. Navy

9. Their motto, “Semper Paratus,” means “always ready.”

1. Marine Corps 2. U.S. Coast Guard 3. Army 4. Air Force

10. The U.S. Military is made up of how many fighting branches?

1. six 2. three 3. five 4. four

11. U.S. Armed forces invaded this country following terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

12. Their official motto of “This We’ll Defend” is incorporated into their seal.

1. Army 2. Marine Corps 3. Navy 4. Air Force

13. The Blue Angels (the world’s first officially sanctioned military aerial demonstration team) are a part of which branch of the U.S. Armed Services?

1. Navy 2. Army 3. Marine Corps 4. Air Force

14. This is the world’s oldest life-saving service.

1. U.S. Coast Guard 2. Navy 3. Army 4. Marine Corps

15. This World War II general went on to lead U.S. forces in Korea, but was removed from that position for disagreeing with President Truman. (Politics notwithstanding, the Korean people have honored him with a statue in Incheon’s Freedom Park.)

16. The U.S. Air Force Academy is located in which state?

1. Colorado 2. Arizona 3. Virginia 4. Maryland

17. This military institution has trained more officers than any other.

ANSWERS

1. State Governors 2. U.S. Coast Guard 3. U.S. Marine Corps 4. Maryland 5. Navy  6. Dwight Eisenhower 7. Army 8. Marine Corps 9. U.S. Coast Guard 10. Five 11. Afghanistan 12. Army 13. Navy 14. U.S. Coast Guard 15. General Douglas MacArthur 16. Colorado  17. United States Military Academy

Source: http://www.theholidayzone.com

Travelers who take the I-295 Bypass around Richmond, Virginia know Exit 9B—numerous gas stations, fast food restaurants, and quick stop stores.  After years of trekking between Alexandria and North Carolina, my family and I know these spots by heart.

Recently returning home from a UNC basketball game, my son and I stopped at Denny’s on Exit 9B for dinner.  I was tired and inwardly fretting about a Tar Heel loss, the economy, college tuition, gas prices…and then I saw them.

Three booths away from us sat a uniformed Army sergeant and her children.  The kids were well-mannered and seemed to be enjoying their meal.  I remembered that Ft. Lee was nearby and began thinking about this family.  Where was the father?  Was he in the Army too? Deployed?  Maybe the sergeant had been so busy with her duties recently that she asked for this Mom’s night out with her children and left Dad at home? Maybe she had just returned from Iraq or Afghanistan?

I didn’t want to intrude, but I was proud to be seated near them.  My worries and struggles seemed small compared to what so many military families face every day.  They deal with challenges on the home front in ways that most civilians do not understand or appreciate.  Finding a new home…packing and moving…leaving grandparents and friends…registering for new schools…registering cars…finding a new place of worship…finding a new temporary job…worrying about loved ones who are deployed…and a thousand other details.  Often military spouses have to handle these chores alone.  Money is always tight.

I said a short prayer for this Army family in Denny’s, quietly paid their bill when we left ahead of them, and headed back to my comfortable life.  It was the least I could do.

There are stunning memorials in Washington, D.C., honoring World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans. The pity, however, is that while tens of thousands of tourists flock to see them on the National Mall every year, few of the visitors are veterans of those wars themselves.

A relatively new nonprofit organization called Honor Flight is out to change that. It’s a simple concept. The organization, which was founded in Ohio in 2005 and has now spread to 100 locations throughout the U.S., arranges flights to Washington for the vets, organizes a group of volunteer “guardians” to accompany them, and transports them to each of the memorials all in one day.

Through 2009, more than 35,000 veterans of our nation’s wars have been transported to Washington to see the monuments built in their honor.

Read the whole story here.