• The president is considered the commander-in-chief of the US military.
• A total of 29 US presidents have served in the American military in some capacity.
• The last president to see combat was George H. W. Bush.
Serving in the military isn’t a prerequisite for becoming president. Nonetheless, out of the 44 presidents of the United States, 29 had some military experience in their background, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. This seems fitting, given that the president is the commander-in-chief of America’s military.
Military service also came up as a political issue over time. The military service of both George W. Bush and John Kerry received heavily scrutiny during the 2004 presidential campaign.
And, while observers have pointed out that US President Donald Trump has a fondness for military trappings and parades – even sparking anger by referring to his staff as “my generals,” Business Insider’s Mark Abadi reported – the medical deferment that kept him out of the Vietnam War is a source of controversy.
These are the presidents who served in the armed forces in some capacity, from the modern day to the American Revolution:
George W. Bush
Service: Texas Air National Guard
Rank: First Lieutenant
Conflict: Stateside during the Vietnam War
George H. W. Bush
Service: United States Naval Reserve
Rank: Lieutenant (junior grade)
Conflict: World War II
Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross
Ronald Reagan
Service: United States Army Reserve, United States Army Air Corps
Rank: Captain
Conflict: Stateside during World War II
Jimmy Carter
Service: United States Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Conflict: World War II and Korea
Gerald Ford
Service: United States Naval Reserve
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Conflict: World War II
Richard Nixon
Service: United States Naval Reserve
Rank: Commander
Conflict: World War II
Awards: Two Service Stars
Lyndon B. Johnson
Service: United States Naval Reserve
Rank: Commander
Conflict: World War II
Awards: Silver Star
John F. Kennedy
Service: United States Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Conflict: World War II
Awards: Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Service: United States Army
Rank: Army General during World War I, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II
Conflict: World War I and World War II
Harry S. Truman
Service: Army Officer Reserve Corps
Rank: Colonel
Conflict: World War I
Theodore Roosevelt
Service: United States Army
Rank: Colonel
Conflict: Spanish-American War
Awards: Medal of Honor (Roosevelt is the only US president to have received this award)
William McKinley
Service: United States Army
Rank: Brevet Major
Conflict: American Civil War
Benjamin Harrison
Service: United States Army
Rank: Brigadier General
Conflict: American Civil War
Chester A. Arthur
Service: New York State Militia
Rank: Brigadier General
Conflict: American Civil War
James Garfield
Service: United States Army
Rank: Major General
Conflict: American Civil War
Rutherford B. Hayes
Service: United States Army
Rank: Major General
Conflict:American Civil War
Ulysses S. Grant
Service: United States Army
Rank: General of the Army
Conflict: Mexican-American War and American Civil War
Andrew Johnson
Service: United States Army
Rank: Brigadier General
Conflict: American Civil War
Abraham Lincoln
Service: Illinois State Militia
Rank: Captain
Conflict: Black Hawk War
James Buchanan
Service: Pennsylvania State Militia
Rank: Private
Conflict: War of 1812
Franklin Pierce
Service: United States Army
Rank: Brigadier General
Conflict: Mexican-American War
Millard Fillmore
Service: New York State Militia
Rank: Major
Conflict: American Civil War
Zachary Taylor
Service: United States Army
Rank: Major General
Conflict: War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Second Seminole War, Mexican-American War
James K. Polk
Service: Tennessee State Militia
Rank: Colonel
Conflict: Did not see war service
John Tyler
Service: Virginia Militia
Rank: Captain
Conflict: War of 1812
William Henry Harrison
Service: United States Army
Rank: Major General
Conflict: Northwest Indian War and the War of 1812
Andrew Jackson
Service: United States Army
Rank: Major General
Conflict: American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Creek War, and the First Seminole War
James Monroe
Service: Continental Army
Rank: Major
Conflict: American Revolutionary War
George Washington
Service: Virginia militia, Continental Army, United States Army
Rank: General
Conflict: French and Indian War and American Revolutionary War