In Memoriam

Between the War for Independence and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the armed forces of the United States have participated in twenty-one principal wars and in numerous smaller conflicts and operations. In each of these American men and women have paid a high price for the nation's freedom, selflessly sacrificing life or limb for an honorable cause.

Principal sources of information for the figures, explanatory text and illustrations appearing below include the National Archives and Records Administration; U.S. Navy Historical Center; Department of Defense; Department of Veterans Affairs; and The Oxford Companion to American Military History, from which all quotations are taken.

In the following pages we have provided a general summary of each conflict in a manner for easy reference. To view each separate engagement you may either click on the links below or utilize the Menu on the left.

• Revolutionary War, 1775 - 1783
• Naval War with France (Undeclared), 1798 - 1801
• War with the Barbary Pirates, 1801 - 1805 and 1815
• War of 1812, 1812 - 1815
• Mexican War, 1846 - 1848
• Civil War, 1861 - 1865
• Spanish-American War, 1898
• China Relief Expedition, 1900 - 1901
• Pacification of Nicaragua, 1912 - 1913
• Unites States Interventions in Mexico, 1914 - 1917
• Pacification of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, 1915 - 1918
• World War I, 1917 -1918
• World War II, 1941 -1945
• Korean Conflict, 1950 -1953
• Vietnam War, 1964 -1973
• Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission, 1982 - 1984
• Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1990 - 1991
• American Prisoners of War (20th Century)