News Notes

By the Army History Staff

Article published on: September 1, 2025 in the Army History Fall 2025 Issue

Read Time: < 4 mins

Publication covers featured in the News Notes section: The Birth of the U.S. Army AUSA graphic novel; Medal of Honor: Van T. Barfoot and Medal of Honor: Clint Romesha AUSA graphic novels; and four U.S. Army Center of Military History Revolutionary War campaign monographs: The New Jersey Campaign 1776–1777, The Saratoga Campaign 1777, The War in the North 1778–1781, and The War in Virginia 1781

Upcoming Revolutionary War Conference

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) is hosting a conference on the American Revolution at the DoubleTree hotel in Front Royal, Virginia, from 20–21 February 2026. The theme is “Forging Independence: The Revolutionary War’s Early Years.” The 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States in 2026 calls for the commemoration and study of the war that brought about the establishment of our country. As part of this eight-year celebration of the important people and events of the American Revolution, the SVBF offers a detailed look at the conflict’s early years with historian presentations and a tour of the historic home of General Adam Stephen, one of the Shenandoah Valley’s Continental Army generals. Attendees of this conference will explore the war’s early campaigns and the lives several of America’s key leaders. For more information, please visit the SVBF website at https://www.shenandoahatwar.org/2026-rev-war-conference.

New Publications from AUSA

The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) recently released three new publications: one special edition graphic novel, and two additions to its Medal of Honor graphic novel series.

The first, titled The Birth of the U.S. Army, commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Army. On 14 June 1775, the U.S. Army was established under civil authority. Militias from the individual colonies would unite to form a national force to fight for independence. All of this took place more than a full year before the Declaration of Independence was issued, intertwining the Army with the history of America itself. A free download of this book is available at www.ausa.org/the-birth-of-the-us-army.

The next two publications add to AUSA’s ever-growing Medal of Honor graphic novel series. The first, Medal of Honor: Clint Romesha, was released on 8 July 2025. On 9 October 2009, an estimated 300 Taliban fighters attacked Combat Outpost Keating in eastern Afghanistan from surrounding high ground. S. Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha awoke to the sounds of gunfire and entered the fray. He rallied troops to help assist the wounded, led a counterattack when the perimeter was breached, and called in air support. Through his heroic actions this critical outpost was secured after the intense firefight.

The second, Medal of Honor: Van T. Barfoot, was released on 12 August 2025. During World War II, then T. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot fought in Italy with the 45th Infantry Division and participated in the breakout from Anzio. He earned the Medal of Honor for charging through a minefield, attacking enemy machine-gun positions, disabling a tank, and helping two wounded soldiers to safety. Both of these graphic novels are available on AUSA’s Medal of Honor graphic novel series website at https://www.ausa.org/medal-honor-graphic-novels.

New Publications from CMH

The U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH) recently added a number of new titles to its U.S. Army Campaigns of the Revolutionary War monograph series. The four new additions are The New Jersey Campaign, 1776–1777 (CMH Pub 71-45) and The War in the North, 1778–1781 (CMH Pub 71-49), both by Steven E. Elliott; The Saratoga Campaign, 1777 (CMH Pub 71-47) by Seanegan P. Sculley; and The War in Virginia, 1781 (CMH Pub 71-53) by J. Britt McCarley. Hard copies are available to Army units through the standard ordering process from the Army Printing and Media Distribution Center’s ordering portal. All of these publications are also available as free downloads from the CMH website at https://history.army.mil/Revwar250/Publications-and-Videos.