capital Newspaper (Continued from last week) Following the election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, the United States military establishment breathed a sigh of relief. Nearly 800 former high-ranking military and security officials penned an open letter in support of the Democratic candidate during the presidential campaign. Since its official establishment, June 14, 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence, the United States Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of the American nation. Drawing on both long-standing militia traditions and recently introduced professional standards, it won the new republic’s independence in an arduous eight-year struggle against Great Britain. At times, the Army provided the lone symbol of nationhood around which patriots rallied.