Over half of US presidents have military experience, but only 24 served in combat. 12 have no military experience. Some presidents, like George W. Bush, were in the military but saw no action. Andrew Jackson served in multiple wars, while George Washington was Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
Over half of all US presidents have served in the military in some capacity. Some presidents have served in the military during wartime but haven’t seen any action, so it’s not clear exactly how many presidents can really be considered war veterans. There are 24 presidents confirmed to have served in combat and six presidents were in the military but saw no action. There are 12 US presidents who have no military experience.
An example of a president who was in the military but saw no action was George W. Bush. He was a member of the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War but did not fight in combat. He spent most of his tenure in Houston, Texas, and so it is questionable whether he qualifies as a war veteran. Other presidents who are not considered war veterans, although they have served in the military, include James Madison, James Polk, Millard Filmore, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Reagan was held back from duty due to his poor eyesight.
While Abraham Lincoln is a president to make the list, his service in the militia during the Black Hawk War was unremarkable and inconsistent. Seven US presidents served in the Civil War, which was overseen by President Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt became famous for his role in the Spanish-American War. No president other than Harry Truman served in combat during World War I; although Dwight Eisenhower was in the military at the time, he was never sent outside the United States. There are six US presidents who are WWII veterans: Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George HW Bush.
Five US presidents are veterans of the War of 1812: Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and James Buchanan. Four US presidents have served in more than one war: Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and Ulysses S. Grant. Three presidents served in the American Revolution: Andrew Jackson, James Monroe and George Washington who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
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