Readers ranked America's top 25 veterans from a 100-name list
Back in May 2014, American Legion Magazine asked readers, website visitors and social media followers to pick the most beloved veterans in U.S. history from a list of 100 names, and the results still make for a solid Veterans Day read.
Snapshot
More than 70,000 votes came in, and American Legion Magazine narrowed the field to a top 25 spanning the Revolutionary War through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The list mixes household names like George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower with service members whose stories are less widely known outside military circles.
Key points
- Audie Murphy topped the list, with George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Alvin York and George Patton rounding out the top five.
- Multiple eras are represented, from Revolutionary War figures like George Washington and John Paul Jones to modern veterans like Chris Kyle, Michael Murphy and Pat Tillman.
- Not every honoree lived to see it, including the Four Chaplains, who gave up their life jackets aboard a sinking troop ship.
- The list includes future presidents and generals, among them Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Douglas MacArthur and Omar Bradley.
- Full profiles exist for every name, written by historians, authors and, in some cases, people who knew the veterans personally, according to American Legion Magazine.
Quick take
A reader poll isn't a history textbook, but this one is a useful reminder of how wide the definition of "beloved veteran" really is, covering battlefield commanders, decorated infantrymen, aviators, a Medal of Honor Navy cook, and chaplains who never fired a shot. Worth a look for the names you know and, more so, for the ones you might not.
Read the full story: military.com