George H.W. Bush Among a Long Line of American Presidential Military Heroes-- Part 1: George Washington Was the First

From the December 3, 2018, Chicago Sun-Times by Neil Steinberg.

The first president of the United States was a military man.  George Washington not only led the Continental Army during the American Revolution, but also fought in the French and Indian War.  As a matter of fact, 26 of our 44 presidents served the country in uniform in some capacity.

With the death Friday of George H.W. Bush, the most recent military president, this is a good time to take a look at the link between the armed forces and the Oval Office.

Washington was followed by two decades of non-veterans.  Washington left office in 1797, and the next military man to be sworn in was James Monroe in 1817, who had dropped out of William & Mary College to fight in the American Revolution in 1775 and was wounded in the Battle of Harlem Heights.

James Madison, while not in the military, saw more combat than many who were in the military and this will be discussed later.

--Cooter