document_title: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

question_text: what is the robots name in power rangers

text: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

text: Series overview[edit]

text: Season 1 (1993–94)[edit]

text: The series takes place in the fictional town of Angel Grove, California.[7] On an exploratory mission, two astronauts discover an extraterrestrial container (referred to as a dumpster as a result of its smell) and breach the unit, inadvertently releasing the evil alien sorceress Rita Repulsa from 10,000 years of confinement. Upon her release, she and her army of evil space aliens set their sights on conquering the nearest planet: Earth. The wise sage Zordon, who was responsible for capturing Rita (and also being enemies back on Zordon's homeworld, Eltar), later becomes aware of her release and orders his robotic assistant Alpha 5 to select five "teenagers with attitude" to defend the Earth from Rita's attacks. The five teens chosen are Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan and Billy Cranston. Zordon gives them the ability to transform into a fighting force known as the Power Rangers; providing them with an arsenal of weapons at their disposal, as well as colossal assault machines called Zords, which can combine into a giant humanoid machine known as the Megazord.[8][9][10]

text: The series begins with five teenagers combating Rita and her seemingly endless array of monsters, while also dealing with typical teenage problems and clashing with local bullies Bulk and Skull. However, consecutive failures lead Rita to adopt a new method for conquering Earth and destroying the Power Rangers: by attacking them with one of their own. Using her magic, Rita kidnaps and brainwashes a local teen whose fighting skills prove to equal that of Jason's in a martial-arts contest held in Angel Grove. The new teen, Tommy Oliver, passes Rita's tests, becoming the Green Power Ranger. Entrusted with Rita's Sword of Darkness, the source for the continuance of the evil spell he has fallen victim to, Tommy comes dangerously close to defeating the Power Rangers, especially when Rita causes a solar eclipse that temporarily drains the Megazord's power. However, the Green Ranger is ultimately defeated, and the Sword of Darkness is destroyed by Jason. Now free from Rita's spell, Tommy chooses to use his Green Ranger powers to assist the other Rangers in defeating the evil that gave them to him in the first place. His Zord, the Dragonzord, is reconfigured to enable it to help form more powerful Zord combinations alongside the other Dinozords.[11]

text: As time goes on, Rita focuses on eliminating Tommy in order to regain the powers that she believes belong to her. Using a special wax that was touched by Tommy when he was evil, Rita uses a magic Green Candle to slowly remove his powers, returning them to her. In the end, Tommy loses his powers, but he prevents Rita from reclaiming them by transferring them to Jason who, feeling guilt for failing to protect Tommy's powers, accepts them. However, Tommy later returns to the team when the other Rangers' Power Coins are handed over to Rita in exchange for their kidnapped parents. With Zordon's help, Tommy regains his powers and successfully retrieves the other Rangers' Power Coins. However, Tommy's regained powers are only temporary and must be frequently re-charged by Zordon, who warns that the Green Ranger's powers will ultimately fail. Despite this, Tommy remains determined to continue assisting the other Rangers as long as possible.[12][13]

text: Season 2 (1994–95)[edit]

text: Lord Zedd, Rita's superior, arrives at Rita's Moon Palace, where he takes her place and throws her into a space dumpster again. He then begins his own campaign to conquer Earth. In order for the Power Rangers to compete with Zedd's monsters, which are superior to the ones Finster made for Rita, Zordon and Alpha upgrade the Dinozords into the more powerful Thunderzords (which combine into the Thunder Megazord). However, Tommy is forced to retain use of the Dragonzord, due to his powers being too weak to support a new Zord.[14]

text: After several defeats, Zedd's attack on the Rangers progressively becomes more violent. He focuses his attention on eliminating Tommy, whom he sees as Rita's biggest mistake in giving him the Dragon Coin. The Green Ranger's powers were rapidly deteriorating, but Zedd's efforts had enhanced the process. He eventually does so with a special Green Crystal, using it to take away the Green Ranger's powers. The crystal also powers up Zedd's Dark Rangers, but when Tommy smashes it, the Dark Rangers powers are transferred back to the regular Rangers. Nevertheless, Zedd finally succeeds in taking the Green Ranger's powers (in which Rita Repulsa later uses to empower Tommy's clone to battle against the Rangers before reclaiming it once more). Following the loss of the Green Ranger's powers, Zordon and Alpha create, in secret, a new White Ranger to aid the other Rangers in battle. The White Ranger is revealed to be Tommy, who in addition receives a new Zord, the Tigerzord, and also becomes the new leader of the Power Rangers (replacing Jason).[15][16]

text: During the Team Ninja Trials in Angel Grove, the Rangers become friends with three teenagers from Stone Canyon: Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park and Aisha Campbell. During an ensuing battle with Zedd and a magical serpent, Rocky, Adam and Aisha discover the Rangers' identities and, having been entrusted with their secret by Zordon himself, the three newcomers become allies of the Rangers.[17]

text: Later on, Jason, Zack and Trini are selected to represent Angel Grove at the World Peace Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Rangers are faced with the task of finding replacements. In order to transfer the powers of the Red, Black and Yellow Rangers, they must find the Sword of Light, which is located on the Deserted Planet. Zedd pursues them across the galaxy in Serpentera, his massive personal Zord, and destroys most of the Deserted Planet. Serpentera runs out of power before being able to finish the Rangers, and they return to Earth safely with the Sword of Light. Zordon then chooses Rocky, Adam and Aisha to replace Jason, Zack and Trini as the Red, Black and Yellow Rangers, respectively.[18]

text: Sometime before the power transfer, Rita had returned to Earth when Tommy made his debut as the White Ranger, and fell into the hands of Bulk and Skull, but the Rangers sent her back into space. She later returns to the Moon while the Rangers are in Australia, and with the help of Finster, she gets a special "makeover" to gain a younger and "prettier" face. She then uses a love potion on Zedd, who is in a deep sleep during his centennial re-evilizer, and he falls in love with her when he wakes up. They get married and thus join forces to make an even more terrible threat for the Rangers, but not even this can prepare them for what is to come.[19]

text: Season 3 (1995)[edit]

text: Rito Revolto, Rita's skeletal brother, comes to Earth and, with the help of a group of monsters, destroys the Rangers' Thunderzords and the Tigerzord. As a result, the Dinozords are also destroyed and the Power Coins are damaged beyond repair. Undaunted, the Power Rangers seek the aid of Ninjor, alleged creator of the Power Coins, who gives them new Ninja Coins, providing them with the even more powerful Ninjazords (which combine into the Ninja Megazord) and the Falconzord.[20]

text: An Australian girl named Kat Hillard moves to Angel Grove. She befriends Kimberly, and displays an intense affection for Tommy. Later it is found that Rita had captured Kat and put her under a powerful spell, giving her the ability to transform into a normal cat as well as a cat-like monster. Under this spell, she steals Kimberly's Ninja Coin, vastly weakening and nearly killing the Pink Ranger, whose life force, like that of the other Ninja Rangers, is connected to her Ninja Coin. It is during this time that the Rangers acquire their most powerful Zords ever: the Shogunzords (which combine into the Shogun Megazord). Eventually, Kat overcomes Rita's evil spell and returns Kimberly's Ninja Coin to her. A short time thereafter, Kimberly gets a chance to pursue her personal athletic dreams. With Zordon's blessing, she leaves to train for the Pan Global Games, choosing Kat to replace her as the Pink Ranger. Though her initial fear and hesitation keeps her from contributing fully to the fight against evil, Kat eventually becomes both comfortable and capable of fulfilling her duty as a Ranger.[21][22][23]

text: After several more battles, Zedd and Rita are joined by Rita's father, Master Vile. Following his failed attempts to defeat the Rangers, he reverses time, turning the Rangers into powerless children. These events culminate in the mini-series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers.

text: Characters[edit]

text: The Power Rangers[edit]

text:
Jason Lee Scott
The original Red Ranger (as well as the team's original leader); portrayed by Austin St. John.
Trini Kwan
The original Yellow Ranger; portrayed by Thuy Trang.
Zachary "Zack" Taylor
The original Black Ranger (as well as the original team's second-in-command); portrayed by Walter Jones.
Kimberly Ann Hart
The original Pink Ranger and the first Pink Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Amy Jo Johnson.
William "Billy" Cranston
The original Blue Ranger and the Blue Ninja Ranger (as well as the second team's second-in-command), who also becomes the longest-lasting member of the original team; portrayed by David Yost.
Thomas "Tommy" Oliver
The original Green Ranger and later the White Ranger and White Ninja Ranger (as well as the team's second leader); portrayed by Jason David Frank.
Adam Park
The second Black Ranger and the Black Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Johnny Yong Bosch.
Aisha Campbell
The second Yellow Ranger and the Yellow Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Karan Ashley.
Rocky DeSantos
The second Red Ranger and the Red Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Steve Cardenas.
Katherine "Kat" Hillard
The second Pink Ranger and the second Pink Ninja Ranger; portrayed by Catherine Sutherland.

text: Supporting characters[edit]

text:
Zordon
An inter-dimensional being trapped in a time warp, he is the wise mentor of the Rangers, who also bestowed their powers. 10,000 years ago, Zordon led the fight against the forces of evil, specifically Rita. Finally, he was able to imprison the evil witch and her minions in a dumpster on the moon. He once had a corporeal human form, but now appears as a floating head in an energy tube. Initially voiced and portrayed by David Fielding, and later voiced by Bob Manahan.
Alpha 5
A multi-functional semi-sentient automaton from Edinoi, Alpha was Zordon's trusted robotic assistant, responsible for the daily operations and upkeep of the Command Center. Portrayed by Sandi Sellne; voiced by Richard Wood.
Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier and Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch
Two bullies at Angel Grove High School. Bulk, the leader of the duo, was prone to dragging Skull into wacky schemes, which usually failed miserably and ended in humiliation or injury. In the second season, the two decide to discover the identities of the Power Rangers after they were saved by the Rangers in "The Mutiny". In the third season, they enroll in the Junior Police Force in order to impress girls. Thanks to the efforts of their superior officer, Lt. Stone, the duo become good-natured goofs. Portrayed by Paul Schrier (Bulk) and Jason Narvy (Skull).
Ernie
The owner and proprietor of the Youth Center, he could often be seen behind the counter of the Juice Bar, and would sometimes dispense advice to the teens. Portrayed by Richard Genelle.
Mr. Caplan
The very stern and quite abusive principal of Angel Grove High School, who often encouraged his students in their extracurricular activities. He wore a toupée to cover his bald head, which serves as a common running gag during seasons 1 and 2. Portrayed by Henry Cannon (uncredited).[24]
Ms. Appleby
A teacher at Angel Grove High School. Portrayed by Royce Herron (uncredited).[25]
Angela
The girl of Zack's affections, he was constantly attempting to impress and go out on a date with her, much to her annoyance. She would often demean Zack for his attempts. She later disappeared in Season 2. Portrayed by Renee Griggs..
Jerome Stone
A Police Lieutenant with the Angel Grove Police Department. Portrayed by Gregg Bullock.
Prince Dex/Masked Rider
A warrior from Alpha's home planet of Edenoi who leads a resistance movement against its ruthless dictator Count Dregon, an acquaintance and rival of Lord Zedd. Portrayed by T.J. Roberts.
Ninjor
The creator of the original 5 Power Coins and Dinozords that were used by the original 5 Power Rangers, even though it was Zordon who distributed them. Portrayed by Hideaki Kusaka and voiced by Kurt Strauss.
Alpha 4
A fictional robot and the predecessor to Alpha 5, and has exactly the same voice (performed by Richard Steven Horvitz) and body design, with the exception that the yellow lights on his chestplate on either side of the lightning bolt were slightly farther apart.
Wild West Rangers
The Old West ancestors of Rocky, Adam, Aisha and Billy, and temporarily obtain Ranger Powers when Kimberly is transported to their time. As Rangers, the Wild West Rangers have outfits identical to those of their descendants, except for the addition of cowboy attire.

text: Antagonists[edit]

text:
Rita Repulsa
Portrayed by Machiko Soga in Season 1, and Carla Perez onwards; voiced by Barbara Goodson.
Lord Zedd
Portrayed by Ed Neil (uncredited) and voiced by Robert Axelrod.
Goldar
Portrayed by Takashi Sakamoto, Kazutoshi Yokoyama and Danny Wayne Stallcup (former two uncredited) and voiced by Kerrigan Mahan.
Rito Revolto
Portrayed by Kenichi Endō and Danny Wayne Stallcup, and voiced by Bob Pappenbrook.
Scorpina
Portrayed by Ami Kawai in Season 1, and Sabrina Lu in Season 2 (1 episode only); voiced by Wendee Swan
Finster
Rita's chief monster maker in the first season. Portrayed by Takako Iiboshi (uncredited) and voiced by Robert Axelrod.
Squatt
One of Rita's henchman. A short, fat, blue creature Bulk. Usually blamed for Rita or Zedd's failures. Portrayed by Minoru Watanabe (uncredited) and voiced by Michael J. Sorich.
Baboo
One of Rita's henchman. A tall, bat-like creature who wears a monacle that resembles Skull. Usually chastises Squatt when Rita's plans fail and too is often blamed. Portrayed by Hideaki Kusaka (uncredited) and voiced by Colin Phillips.
Master Vile
Portrayed by Hidekatsu Shibata and voiced by Tom Wyner (both uncredited).
Lokar
Portrayed by Masahiko Urano (uncredited) and voiced by Robert Axelrod.
Hydro Hog
Voiced by Brad Orchard (uncredited).
Putty Patrollers
Warriors made of clay who act as Rita Repulsa's foot soldiers, the Putties are often sent to wear the Rangers down before a monster battle, as well as for sabotage and other special missions. In Season 2, Lord Zedd upgrades the Putty design, completely replacing Rita's original design. Zedd's Putties are superior to the original Putties and are more expendable. However, Zedd's Putties also have a big weakness—striking the Z-logo on their chests causes these Putties to explode into pieces.
Tenga Warriors
Crow-like soldiers that are able to speak, they are introduced in Season 3 when Rito Revolto takes them with him to the Moon as a wedding gift, and replace Zedd's Putties in attacking the Power Rangers. The Rangers normally use their Ninja Ranger powers to fight them. Unlike the Putties, the Tenga Warriors are not expendable and they return to the Moon when defeated. The Tengas originated in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (going by the name "Tengu Warriors") under the command of Ivan Ooze. The name changed between the movie and television show was because of copyright complications with the movie's producer 20th Century Fox.[citation needed]

text: Production[edit]

text: Conception[edit]

text: While on a business trip to Japan, Haim Saban came across a broadcast of Choudenshi Bioman, later learning of a popular French-language dub aired on Canal+.[26] Based on the franchise's popularity both in and outside of its native country, Saban realized there was potential for an American adaption. He and his business partner Shuki Levy quickly produced a pilot entitled Bio-Man in August 1986,[27] which featured an early appearance by actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos in a leading role.[28] According to Levy, they "shopped it around for at least five years, but nobody wanted it." Levy and Saban later re-edited the pilot using footage from the then-contemporary Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, entitling the pitch Galaxy Rangers.[29] Eventually, the pilot was picked up by Fox Kids decided to pick it up with a 40 episode order, after which point it would be determined by the network whether or not to renew the series for additional episodes.[30]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Due to the action-oriented nature of the show, many of the lead actors cast had background in either martial arts, dance, or other physically-intensive activities. Amy Jo Johnson (Kim) and David Yost (Billy) were former competitive gymnasts,[31][32][33] Austin St. John (Jason) held a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo,[34] and a first-degree black belt in Judo.[35] Walter Emanuel Jones (Zack) was a dancer, and Thuy Trang (Trini) was a kung fu practitioner.[36] Actor Jason Narvy (Skull) originally auditioned for the role of Billy.[37]

text: Following production of the first 20 episodes of season two, Austin St. John, Thuy Trang and Walter Emanuel Jones left the show over contract disputes.[38] To disguise this incident, a combination of body doubles, voice doubles and stock footage were used to continue featuring the characters Jason, Trini and Zack for eight episodes. The subplot of those three Rangers leaving Angel Grove for the World Peace Conference was made to bridge the transition to their replacements (Rocky, Aisha and Adam). While the reasons for their departure was debated for many years, in 2014, Austin St. John would confirm that the departure was due to the low salaries the stars were being paid; St. John stated "I could have worked the window at McDonalds and probably made the same money the first season. It was disappointing, it was frustrating, it made a lot of us angry."[38] In a 2012 interview with Amy Jo Johnson, she stated St. John, Trang and Jones wanted to become part of a union; this led to them being replaced.[39]

text: Filming[edit]

text: The series was shot on location in Santa Clarita and Los Angeles, California.[40] Recurring locations included Grant High School, Placerita Canyon State Park, Puddingstone Reservoir, and Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park. The House of the Book at Brandeis-Bardin Institute was used the exterior location for the Command Center.[41] Due to its unusual, futuristic architecture; the building had previously been used in the films Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and The Lawnmower Man.[42]

text: As part of the initial licensing agreement between Saban and Toei Company, the producers of the Super Sentai, additional footage and insert shots of the villain characters (particularly those played by Machiko Soga, Ami Kawai, and Hideaki Kusaka)[43] were filmed in order to allow more in-depth, extensive scenes of the villains who would be unable to interact with the main cast due to the nature of the show.[44] The additional footage included close-ups of the actor speaking English-language lines phonetically in order to more make the necessary dialogue looping more seamless.[44]

text: Episodes 39-40 (Doomsday Part 1-2) were originally intended as the season (and potentially series) finale, with the producers' intending to bring in actress Machiko Soga to reprise her role as Rita in new footage where she would interact directly with the main cast.[45][46] Due to the unprecedented success of the show and its merchandising, Fox Kids ordered an additional 25 episodes. Since all available stock footage from Zyuranger had been depleted for use in the first 40 episodes of season one, Saban commissioned Toei to produce 25 new monster costumes and new battle footage using the existing Zyuranger suits. Saban was able to produce 25 additional episodes using new monster suits. This new footage has been referred to as "Zyu2" by Power Rangers fans. Saban used the first 15 in the rest of season 1 then the remaining suits and footage for the first 13 episodes of season two.[47]

text: After the casting of Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley and Johnny Yong Bosch, the production moved to Sydney, Australia for roughly four months to shoot Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, which was released the following summer before the start of season three.

text: Reception and controversy[edit]

text: Despite the success of the series, it was also subject to much controversy from parents who felt the show was too violent for young children. The show had aired before television stations issued content warnings such as parental guidance or fit for viewing persons twelve years or over, the V-chip, and television ratings. In the US, numerous complaints were sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In 1993, the Canadian broadcast rights to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers were jointly purchased by the YTV cable channel, and the series played to a receptive audience every weekday afternoons on YTV, the latter trailing the American broadcast by several months. However, due to complaints sent to the recently formed Canadian Broadcast Standards Council and a negative assessment from that body over the show's violent content,[48] YTV removed the series from their line-up.[49][50] Despite not actually being a member of the CBSC, YTV complied and pulled the series before the end of its first season; Global (which was a CBSC member) ultimately did the same. While a phone-in poll was conducted to see if viewers wanted MMPR back on YTV, no further installments of the Power Rangers franchise aired on the network until 2011's Power Rangers Samurai, although commercials for toys and videos were still advertised on it.[51] Later Disney-era versions of the series were broadcast on Family.

text: Early on in the series, some fans and critics noted that some racial overtones could be construed in the colors of several of the Rangers in the first few seasons being based on the actors' skin color or ethnicity. Austin St. John, who is of partial Native American ancestry, was cast as the Red Ranger, and Walter Emanuel Jones (an African American) and Thuy Trang (whose family was of Vietnamese ancestry) were the Black and Yellow Rangers respectively. Years later, when brought up on VH1's I Love the '90s, Jones and Amy Jo Johnson (as well as other celebrity commentators) made fun of how the original line-up had Jones' role as the Black Ranger and Trang's role as the Yellow Ranger because the actors and characters were of African and Asian descent, respectively.

text: In Malaysia, the phrase "Mighty Morphin" was censored and removed from the logo due to the word "morphin" being too similar to the drug Morphine.[citation needed]

text: In mid-October 1994, the murder of a young Norwegian girl by two of her young friends prompted Swedish-owned TV3 to pull MMPR from its broadcast schedule in all of its market countries. However, MMPR was not related to the event. Instead, the young children responsible were fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.[52]

text: In 1994, the New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) upheld several complaints from members of the public about the level of violence in the show. The main concern of those complainants was that the show portrayed violence as the primary means of resolving conflict, and that this was influencing children to behave more violently more frequently. Immediately following the BSA decision, the second season of the show was all but cancelled by Television New Zealand.[50] New Zealand is the only country in the world where this show has been prematurely withdrawn from public broadcast to date.[53] DVD and video releases of the more-recent Power Rangers series that were filmed in New Zealand can be found at The Warehouse, although general sales through video stores and other retailers are scarce. Later series in the Power Rangers franchise, such as Power Rangers: Mystic Force and Power Rangers: Jungle Fury, were filmed in New Zealand, but the programs were still not shown in the country, until 2011, when Samurai premiered.[citation needed]

text: In a 2010 interview with fan blog "No Pink Spandex", David Yost revealed that he had left the show in the subsequent Power Rangers Zeo production due to homophobic reactions to his sexuality, citing that he walked off set one day because "[he] was called 'faggot' one too many times." He also stated that the producers would often ask other cast members what they thought about his homosexuality, and this made him uncomfortable as well.[54][55] Shortly after this interview, producer Scott Page-Pagter stated that Yost left over a pay dispute and that the allegations of homophobia are false; he added that Yost did not get along with any of the crew.[56] In the Power Rangers Zeo episode where Yost's character appeared for the last time, "Rangers of Two Worlds", footage from previous episodes was used as well as vocal work from a separate, uncredited actor, to conceal the fact that Yost was not present during filming. A tribute to the Blue Ranger and Billy was seen in the closing credits of this last Billy episode.

text: The shows low salaries and non-union status was subject of much debate between many within the industry, and caused an uproar with many working on the show. The show would make headlines when it lost three of its main actors midway through season two. Austin St. John, Walter E. Jones, and Thuy Trang would leave the show after being denied higher salaries and for the show to become union. Karan Ashley, who was cast as the Yellow Ranger shortly afterward revealed that although her, Steve Cardenas, and Johnny Yong Bosch were cast as Power Rangers, they were paid less until they were revealed as Rangers on the show.[citation needed]

text: Voice actress, Barbara Goodson, who voiced Rita Repulsa, revealed that when the show finally became union, she had to argue to keep her salary from being lowered. She had three episodes left on her contract and they wanted to drop her down to $300 an episode. She would also reveal that Saban Entertainment lacked respect for the cast and crew. They were presented their own Power Rangers jackets for being on the show, but were asked to pay for them.[citation needed]

text: Composer Ron Wasserman, who scored all three seasons of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, was controversially given different alias' during the course of the series and did not receive any credit for his work. Haim Saban and Shuki Levy requested this as they wanted to receive royalties for Wasserman's work, which disallowed Wasserman to receive anything other than his base salary. Wasserman would leave the series after composing the score for the third season. He would later state that his reason was due to Saban's refusal of him to score the music for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. He stated that 20th Century Fox had wanted him to do the score, but Saban rejected the offer for him.[citation needed]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Nominee
Result

1995
22nd Daytime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Single Camera Photography
Ilan Rosenberg
Nominated

text: Home media[edit]

text: Between 1994 and 1996, Saban Home Entertainment and WarnerVision Entertainment released VHS tapes of the series in the U.S. In 2000, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released seven compilation VHS tapes. In 2012, Shout! Factory released 19 disc to Comic-Con International and a 20 disc set exclusively to Time Life of all three seasons and Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. In that same year, Shout! reissued the 19 disc to wider retail. They also released two volumes for both season one and season two of the series, as well as the complete third season. In January 2014, the entire series, as well as the remaining 17 seasons in the entire Power Rangers franchise, was released in 98 disc set. The series has also been released on VHS in the UK and Australia, and Region 2 DVD. The first 30 episodes of season one have been released to Region 4 DVD.

text: Video games[edit]

text: The following video games have been developed based on the television series.

text:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy) (1994)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Sega Genesis, Game Gear) (1994)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Sega CD) (1994)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, Game Gear) (1995)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition (SNES) (1995)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle (PlayStation 4, Xbox One) (2017[57])
Power Rangers: Legacy Wars (2017)

text: Comic books[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Several comic book series were based on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. From 1994 to 1995, Hamilton Comics produced three separate series totaling thirteen issues altogether. Marvel Comics produced two series, the first with seven issues based on the second season and the second with five issues called Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Ninja Rangers/VR Troopers which was a flip book with adventures based on the third season on one side and of VR Troopers on the other. The Power Rangers also appeared in the Masked Rider comic book from Marvel. In March 2016, BOOM! comics released a new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic series based off the original series but serves as a reboot taking place in the modern world.[58][59][60][61] In July 2017, a second series called Go Go Power Rangers was released and takes place before Tommy Oliver joined the team.

text: Films[edit]

text:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
Power Rangers (2017)


document_title: Animal (Muppet)

question_text: who is animal from the muppets based on

question_tokens: who is animal from the muppets based on

root

text: Animal (Muppet)

text: Performers[edit]

text: Animal was performed by Frank Oz from his first appearance in the pilot for The Muppet Show until his 2000 appearance in the video game Muppet RaceMania, and has been performed regularly by Eric Jacobson since his 2002 appearance in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.[2] On The Muppet Show, his drumming is performed by Ronnie Verrell.[3] Animal has had roles in all Muppet movies, and was the only member of The Electric Mayhem to be included regularly on the Muppet Babies cartoons.

tag: p

text: He was voiced by Howie Mandel in the first two seasons of Muppet Babies, followed by Dave Coulier in subsequent seasons. Animal was performed by Rob Mills in the series finale of The Jim Henson Hour, and was occasionally performed by Kevin Clash on Muppets Tonight in the absence of Frank Oz. John Kennedy also briefly performed Animal in a 2002 commercial for MasterCard, as well as the 2003 video game Muppets Party Cruise. Drew Massey performed Animal in Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony. In Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters, Animal was voiced by Hal Rayle (who also voiced Gonzo and Miss Piggy).

text: Characteristics[edit]

text: Frank Oz has stated that Animal's character can be summed up in five words: sex, sleep, food, drums, and pain.[4] However, Animal has retorted: "Drums are food!" Animal's vocabulary is generally limited to guttural shouts and monosyllabic grunts, often repeating a few simple phrases, as well as his trademark gravelly laugh. During performances, Animal is usually chained to the drum set by a collar around his neck, as his musical outbursts are extremely violent. In some episodes, he has been summoned to chase off performers who are 'being annoying'.

text: From The Muppet Movie when the Electric Mayhem is introducing themselves:

text:
Animal: [flails and babbles wildly, pants, and yells as Fozzie clutches an also frightened Kermit in fear]
Floyd: Oh yeah, that's Animal. Show 'em whatcha do, Animal!
Animal: I want to eat drums! [loudly chews on a cymbal]
Dr. Teeth: No, no, beat drums, beat drums.
Animal: [open eyes wide] Beat drums! Beat drums! [hits the third tom drum three times with his head, grunting before each hit]
Floyd: Down, Animal!
Animal: Down!
Floyd: Back!
Animal: Back!
Floyd: Sit!
Animal: Sit! [laughs shortly as he gets back up to look at Scooter who is introducing himself]

text: Alone among characters on the show, Floyd has trained his fellow musician to obey a few simple off-drum commands correctly, suggesting dog training.

text: Animal's bushy eyebrows and hair, outrageous behavior, and wild drumming style can be associated with classical hard-partying rock drummers, such as The Who's Keith Moon[5][6], Led Zeppelin's John Bonham and Cream's Ginger Baker, with whom Animal shares his pink hair, skirt chasing, and violent outbursts. The original Animal sketches point to one Grammy Award-winning drummer named Steve Mitchell, a friend of Jim Henson's.[7] Animal is a savant, versatile session drummer, to back Muppet tunes, capable even of finishing a slow song, if the singer is nice lady. He can match both Buddy Rich and Harry Belafonte in drum-offs on The Muppet Show, and on Questlove on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2011. He shows a talent for jazz in a television advert for the Renault Clio car with French footballer Thierry Henry.[8]

text: Animal has also run afoul of Muppet Show guests. In 1981, the aforementioned scene with Buddy Rich ends with the seasoned pro learning Animal's gonzo style, and performing it with twice the speed and proficiency.[9] Animal throws a drum onto the irascible entertainer's head. When he repeatedly interrupted Rita Moreno's rendition of Fever with loud drumming outbursts, she became annoyed and slammed his head between a pair of cymbals (to which Animal responded by saying "Uh, that's my kinda woman!", before passing out). In another episode, Animal became hostile toward Dudley Moore when Moore tried to replace the band with a programmable, music-playing robot. On another occasion, however, Animal is starstruck by James Coburn after the movie tough-guy demonstrates his own violent streak:

text:
Coburn: There's a right way and a wrong way to handle aggression...
Animal: Aggression...
Coburn: You don't want to bust a chair up like that – [takes the chair Animal is mauling] you bust it up like this! [smashes chair to bits on the staircase banister (forcing Animal to duck) and coolly walks back up to his dressing room]
Animal: [eyes wide] My kinda guy! [races after him] Jimmy! Jimmy!

text: A common gag involves someone imparting a figure of speech to Animal: Animal turns to the audience, his eyes go wide and he goes berserk, taking the figure of speech literally. For example, Jim Nabors once spoke the traditional theatrical good luck wish, "Break a leg", whereupon Animal indulged him by trying to break Nabors's leg. Another gag would occasionally occur when the band plays a slow song: Animal will get about halfway through and then after announcing "Too slow!" launch into a faster paced version of the song. The band would usually comment that Animal lasted much longer than they thought he would.

text: Animal is a literal skirt-chaser. In The Muppets Take Manhattan, he chases a female student out of the auditorium, chanting "Woo-maaaan!" after her. He also chases cars. While many Animal gags involve a role reversal, or a moment of intellectualism, others are still more innuendo. Such as in this piece of dialog from The Great Muppet Caper, where it is revealed that Animal has a passion for the impressionist paintings of Pierre-Auguste Renoir:

text:
Kermit the Frog: What's wrong with the drummer? He looks a little crazed.
Zoot: Oh, he's just upset about missing the Rembrandt exhibit at The National Gallery.
Animal: [Correcting him in a wild, angry tone] Renoir!!

text: Animal favors the painter with the best French ballerinas.

text: In the movie Muppets from Space, Animal meets his match in the form of a security guard played by Kathy Griffin—after chasing her down a hallway with his "Woo-man" call, he later comes running back around the corner, yelling "HELP HELP!" with Griffin calling after him about how they'll settle down, buy a house, and have children.

text: Ty Pennington commented about the possibility of Animal suffering from ADHD when the character appeared on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[10]

text: Appearances in other media[edit]

text: Animal was the official mascot of the U.S. Ski Team during the 1998 Winter Olympics.[11] He was also featured in one of eleven commemorative stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service.[12]

text: In 2010, Animal was featured in a viral video alongside power-pop band OK Go, where he challenged the band's drummer, Dan Konopka, to a staring contest. Animal ultimately wins and forces Dan to be his roadie for a year.

text: Animal and his fellow Muppets made a guest appearance on the Halloween 2011 episode of WWE Raw, where he was a guest timekeeper.

text: Animal is present in the 2011 film The Muppets, having gone into anger-management therapy since the Muppets broke up. He also made a special appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as a guest drummer with the Roots house band.


document_title: History of the United States Army

question_text: when did the united states get a standing army

question_tokens: when did the united states get a standing army

text: History of the United States Army

text: Continental Army[edit]

text: The Continental Army consisted of troops from all 13 colonies. When the American Revolutionary War began at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, the colonial revolutionaries did not have an army. Previously, each colony had relied upon the militia, made up of part-time civilian-soldiers, for local defense, or the raising of temporary "provincial regiments" during specific crises such as the French and Indian War. As tensions with Great Britain increased in the years leading up to the war, colonists began to reform their militia in preparation for the potential conflict. Training of militiamen increased after the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774. Colonists such as Richard Henry Lee proposed creating a national militia force, but the First Continental Congress rejected the idea.[2]

text: On April 23, 1775, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress authorized the raising of a colonial army consisting of 26 company regiments, followed shortly by similar but smaller forces raised by New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress decided to proceed with the establishment of a Continental Army for purposes of common defense, adopting the forces already in place outside Boston (22,000 troops) and New York (5,000). It also raised the first ten companies of Continental troops on a one-year enlistment, riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia to be used as light infantry, who later became the 1st Continental Regiment in 1776. On June 15, the Congress elected George Washington as Commander-in-Chief by unanimous vote.

text: Washington succeeded in forcing the British out of Boston in 1776, but was defeated and almost captured later that year when he lost New York City. After crossing the Delaware River in the dead of winter, he defeated the British in two battles, retook New Jersey and restored momentum to the Patriot cause. Because of his strategy, Revolutionary forces captured two major British armies at Saratoga in 1777 and Yorktown in 1781. Historians laud Washington for his selection and supervision of his generals, encouragement of morale and ability to hold together the army, coordination with the state governors and state militia units, relations with Congress and attention to supplies, logistics, and training. In battle, however, Washington was repeatedly outmaneuvered by British generals with larger armies. After victory had been achieved in 1783, Washington resigned rather than seize power, proving his opposition to military dictatorship and his commitment to American republicanism.[3]

text: Organization[edit]

text: The initial orders from Congress authorized ten companies of riflemen. However, the first full regiment of Regular Army infantry, the 3rd Infantry Regiment was not formed until June 1784.[1]

text: After the authorization of the creation of a Continental Army, Congress, on 16 June 1775, created multiple departments to help support the operations of the Army. These four departments would later be renamed as Corps: the Adjutant General's Corps, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Finance Corps and the Quartermasters Corps. Congress later authorized both the creation of Field Artillery and Cavalry units in November 1775 and December 1776 respectively.[1]

text: Broadly speaking, Continental forces consisted of several successive armies, or establishments:

text:
The Continental Army of 1775, comprising the initial New England Army, organized by Washington into three divisions, six brigades, and 38 regiments. Major General Philip Schuyler's ten regiments in New York were sent to invade Canada.
The Continental Army of 1776, reorganized after the initial enlistment period of the soldiers in the 1775 army had expired. Washington had submitted recommendations to the Continental Congress almost immediately after he had accepted the position of Commander-in-Chief, but these took time to consider and implement. Despite attempts to broaden the recruiting base beyond New England, the 1776 army remained skewed toward the Northeast both in terms of its composition and geographical focus. This army consisted of 36 regiments, most standardized to a single battalion of 768 men strong formed into eight companies, with a rank and file strength of 640.
The Continental Army of 1777–80 was a result of several critical reforms and political decisions that came about when it was apparent that the British were sending massive forces to put an end to the American Revolution. The Continental Congress passed the "Eighty-eight Battalion Resolve", ordering each state to contribute one-battalion regiments in proportion to their population, and Washington was subsequently given authority to raise an additional 16 battalions. Also, enlistment terms were extended to three years or "the length of the war" to avoid the year-end crises that depleted forces (including the notable near collapse of the army at the end of 1776 which could have ended the war in a Continental, or American, loss by forfeit).
The Continental Army of 1781–82 saw the greatest crisis on the American side in the war. Congress was bankrupt, making it very difficult to replenish the soldiers whose three-year terms had expired. Popular support for the war was at its all-time low, and Washington had to put down mutinies both in the Pennsylvania Line and New Jersey Line. Congress voted to cut funding for the Army, but Washington managed nevertheless to secure important strategic victories.
The Continental Army of 1783–84 was succeeded by the United States Army, which persists to this day. As peace was closed with the British, most of the regiments were disbanded in an orderly fashion, though several had already been diminished.

tag: ul

text: In addition to the Continental Army regulars, local militia units, raised and funded by individual colonies/states, participated in battles throughout the war. Sometimes, the militia units operated independently of the Continental Army, but often local militias were called out to support and augment the Continental Army regulars during campaigns. (The militia troops developed a reputation for being prone to premature retreats, a fact that was integrated into the strategy at the Battle of Cowpens.)

text: Early national period (1783–1812)[edit]

text: After the war the Continental Army was quickly disbanded as part of the American distrust of standing armies, and irregular state militias became the new nation's sole ground army, with the exception of a regiment to guard the Western Frontier and one battery of artillery guarding West Point's arsenal. However, because of continuing conflict with Indians, it was soon realized that it was necessary to field a trained standing army. The first of these, the Legion of the United States, was established in 1791.

text: 19th century[edit]

text: War of 1812[edit]

text: The War of 1812, the second and last American war against the British, was less successful than the Revolution had been. An invasion of Canada failed, and U.S. troops were unable to stop the British from burning the new capital of Washington, D.C.. However, the Regular Army, under Generals Winfield Scott and Jacob Brown, proved they were professional and capable of defeating a major invasion by the regular British army in the Niagara campaign of 1814. The nation celebrated the Army's great victory under Andrew Jackson, at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815, thus ending the war on a high note.

text: The multiple failures and fiascos of the War of 1812 convinced Washington that thorough reform of the War Department was necessary. Secretary of War John C. Calhoun reorganized the department into a system of bureaus, whose chiefs held office for life, and a commanding general in the field, although the Congress did not authorize this position. Through the 1840s and 1850s, Winfield Scott was the senior general, only retiring at the start of the American Civil War in 1861. The bureau chiefs acted as advisers to the Secretary of War while commanding their own troops and field installations. The bureaus frequently conflicted among themselves, but in disputes with the commanding general, the Secretary of War generally supported the bureaus. Congress regulated the affairs of the bureaus in detail, and their chiefs looked to that body for support.[4]

text: Calhoun set up the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1824, the main agency within the War Department for dealing with Native Americans until 1849, when the Congress transferred it to the newly founded Department of the Interior.[5][6]

text: Westward Expansion[edit]

text: Between 1815 and 1860, the main role of the Army was control of Indians in the West, and manning coast artillery stations at major ports. Most of the forces were stationed on the frontier, or and coastal defense units near seaports.[7]

text: Transportation was a key issue and the Army (especially the Army Corps of Engineers) was given full responsibility for facilitating navigation on the rivers. The steamboat, first used on the Ohio River in 1811, made possible inexpensive travel using the river systems, especially the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries.[8] Army expeditions up the Missouri River in 1818–25 allowed engineers to improve the technology. For example, the Army's steamboat "Western Engineer" of 1819 combined a very shallow draft with one of the earliest stern wheels. In 1819–25 Colonel Henry Atkinson developed keelboats with hand-powered paddle wheels.[9]

text: Seminole Wars[edit]

text: Internally the main military action involved the years of warfare with the Seminole Indians in Florida. They refused to move west and effectively used the terrain as a defense. The First Seminole War was from 1814 to 1819, the Second Seminole War from 1835 to 1842, and the Third Seminole War from 1855 to 1858.[10]

text: War with Mexico[edit]

text: The U.S. used regular units and many volunteer units to fight Mexico, 1846–48. The American strategy was threefold: to take control of the Southwest (New Mexico and California); to invade Mexico from the North under general Zachary Taylor.[11] Finally to land troops and capture Mexico City with an army under General Winfield Scott.[12] All the operations were successful; the Americans won all the major battles.

text: The army expanded from 6,000 regulars to more than 115,000. Of these, approximately 1.5% were killed in the fighting and nearly 10% died of disease; another 12% were wounded or discharged because of disease.[13][14]

text: Civil War[edit]

text: At the outset of the American Civil War the regular U.S. army was small and generally assigned to defend the nation's frontiers from Indian attacks. As one after another Southern state seceded many experienced officers and men resigned or left to join the Confederate States Army, further limiting the regular army's abilities.

text: The attack on Fort Sumter by South Carolina militia marked the beginning of hostilities. Both sides recruited large numbers of men into a new Volunteer Army, recruited and formed by the states. Regiments were recruited locally, with company officers elected by the men. Although many officers in the regular army accepted commissions in the new volunteer units outsiders were not usually welcome as officers, unless they were surgeons whose value was obvious.[15] Colonels – often local politicians who helped raise the troops – were appointed by the governors, and generals were appointed by President Abraham Lincoln.

text: The Volunteer Army was so much larger than the Regular Army that entirely new units above the regimental level had to be formed. The grand plan involved geographical theaters, with armies (named after rivers such as the Army of the Potomac in the Eastern Theater) comprising brigades, divisions and corps headquarters.[16]

text: The rapidly growing armies were relatively poorly trained when the first major battle of the war occurred at Bull Run in the middle of 1861. The embarrassing Union defeat and subsequent inability of the Confederacy to capitalize on their victory resulted in both sides spending more time organizing and training their green armies. Much of the subsequent actions taken in 1861 were skirmishes between pro-Union and pro-Confederacy irregular forces in border states like Missouri and Kentucky.

text: In 1862 the war became much more bloody, though neither side was able to gain a lasting strategic advantage over the other. However, the decisive battles of Gettysburg in the east and Vicksburg in the west allowed the momentum of the war to shift in favor of the Union in 1863. Increasingly, Confederate forces were outmatched by the more numerous and better equipped Union forces, whose greater population and economic resources became critical factors as the war became one of attrition. An increasingly effective naval blockade further damaged the Southern war economy.

text: By 1864, long-term Union advantages in geography, manpower, industry, finance, political organization and transportation were overwhelming the Confederacy. Grant fought a remarkable series of bloody battles with Lee in Virginia in the summer of 1864. Lee's defensive tactics resulted in higher casualties for Grant's army, but Lee lost strategically overall as he could not replace his casualties and was forced to retreat into trenches around his capital, Richmond, Virginia. Meanwhile, in the West, William Tecumseh Sherman captured Atlanta in 1864. His March to the Sea destroyed a hundred-mile-wide swath of Georgia, with little Confederate resistance. In 1865, the Confederacy collapsed after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse.

text: In all, 2.2 million men served in the Union army; 360,000 of whom died from all causes – two-thirds from disease. The Volunteer Army was demobilized in summer 1865.

text: Logistics[edit]

text: While the Confederacy suffered from a worsening lack of adequate supplies, the Union forces typically had enough food, supplies, ammunition and weapons. The Union supply system, even as it penetrated deeper into the South, maintained its efficiency. The key leader was Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs.[17][18] Union quartermasters were responsible for most of the $3 billion spent for the war. They operated out of sixteen major depots, which formed the basis of the system of procurement and supply throughout the war. As the war expanded, operation of these depots became much more complex, with an overlapping and interweaving relationship between the Army and government operated factories, private factories, and numerous middlemen. The purchase of goods and services through contracts supervised by the quartermasters accounted for most of federal military expenditures, apart from the wages of the soldiers. The quartermasters supervised their own soldiers, and cooperated closely with state officials, manufacturers and wholesalers trying to sell directly to the army; and representatives of civilian workers looking for higher pay at government factories. The complex system was closely monitored by congressmen anxious to ensure that their districts won their share of contracts.[19]

text: Black soldiers[edit]

text: Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, enabled both free blacks and escaped slaves, to join the Union Army.[20] About 190,000 volunteered, further enhancing the numerical advantage the Union armies enjoyed over the Confederates, who did not dare emulate the equivalent manpower source for fear of fundamentally undermining the legitimacy of slavery. Black Union soldiers were mostly used in garrison duty, but they fought in several battles, such as the Battle of the Crater (1864), and the Battle of Nashville (1865).

text: There was bad blood between Confederates and black soldiers, with no quarter given on either side. At Ft. Pillow on April 12, 1864 Confederate units under Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest went wild and massacred black soldiers attempting to surrender, which further inflamed passions.[21]

text: Indian wars of the late 19th century[edit]

text: Following the Civil War, the U.S. Army fought a Series Of Wars with Native Americans, who resisted U.S. expansion into the center of the continent. By the 1890s the U.S. saw itself as a potential international player. The Army played a central role in winning the Spanish–American War of 1898 and the less well known Philippine–American War of 1899–1901.

text: As settlement sped up across the West after the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, clashes with Native Americans of the Plains and southwest reached a final phase. The military's mission was to clear the land of free-roaming Indians and put them onto reservations. The stiff resistance of battle-hardened, well-armed mounted Indian warriors resulted in the Indian Wars.

text: In the Apache and Navajo Wars, Colonel Christopher "Kit" Carson forced the Mescalero Apache onto a reservation in 1862. Skirmishes between Americans and Apaches continued until after the turn of the century. In 1863–1864, Carson used a scorched earth policy in the Navajo campaign, burning Navajo fields and homes, and capturing or killing their livestock. He was aided by other Indian tribes with long-standing enmity toward the Navajos, chiefly the Utes. Later in 1864, he fought a combined force of more than one thousand Kiowa, Comanche, and Plains Apache at the First Battle of Adobe Walls. Carson retreated but he managed to destroy an Indian village and winter supplies. In the Red River War which followed the U.S. army systematically destroyed Comanche property, horses, and livelihood in the Texas panhandle, resulting in the surrender of the last Comanche war chief, Quanah Parker, in June 1875.

text: In June 1877, in the Nez Perce War the Nez Perce under Chief Joseph, unwilling to give up their traditional lands and move to a reservation, undertook a 1,200 mile fighting retreat from Oregon to near the Canada–US border in Montana. Numbering only 200 warriors, the Nez Perce battled some 2,000 American regulars and volunteers in a total of eighteen engagements, including four major battles and at least four fiercely contested skirmishes."[22] The Nez Perce were finally surrounded at the Battle of Bear Paw and surrendered.

text: The Great Sioux War of 1876–77 was conducted by the Lakota under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. The conflict began after repeated violations of the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) once gold was discovered in the hills. By far the most famous battle was the one-sided Indian victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, in which combined Sioux and Cheyenne forces defeated the 7th Cavalry, led by General George Armstrong Custer. The West was largely pacified by 1890, apart from small Indian raids along the Mexican border.[23]

text: Combat in the Indian wars resulted in the deaths of about 4,340 people, including soldiers, civilians and Native Americans. In all the Indian wars combined from 1790 to 1910, regular cavalry units fought in about 1000 engagements and suffered more than 2000 total killed and wounded.[24] Disease and accidents caused far more Army casualties than combat; annually, eight soldiers per 1000 died from disease, and five per 1000 died from battle wounds or accidents.[25]

text: Spanish–American and Philippine–American Wars[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2014)

tag: table

text: Twentieth century[edit]

text: In 1910, the U.S. Signal Corps acquired and flew the Army's first aircraft, the Wright Type A biplane.[26]

text: The Maneuver Division was formed in San Antonio, Texas, in March 1911, to undertake offensive operations against Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. This was the United States' first attempt at modernizing the division concept. Major General Leonard Wood, then Army Chief of Staff, mobilized the division primarily to demonstrate to Congress that the United States was not adequately prepared for modern warfare. The division was disbanded on 7 August 1911.

text: Because of the mobilization difficulties experienced with the Maneuver Division, on 15 February 1913 a standing organization of a "regular army organized in divisions and cavalry brigades ready for immediate use as an expeditionary force or for other purposes..." and "an army of national citizen soldiers organized in peace in complete divisions and prepared to reenforce the Regular Army in time of war" was organized by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and known as the "Stimson Plan." The continental United States was divided into four geographic departments (Eastern, Central, Western, and Southern) and a regular army division assigned to each, and 12 geographic districts, each with a national guard infantry division assigned. 32 of the 48 state governors committed their national guards to support of the plan. There were also three artillery commands: the Northern Atlantic Coast Artillery District, the Southern Atlantic Coast Artillery District, and the Pacific Coast Artillery District.[27]

text: In 1914 and 1916, U.S. troops were sent into Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The Pancho Villa Expedition under Brigadier General John J. Pershing attempted to capture Pancho Villa, a Mexican who had mounted attacks on U.S. border towns. The skirmishes on the border later became known as the Border War (1910–19).

text: World War I[edit]

text: A combined conscript and volunteer force, the National Army, was formed by the United States War Department in 1917 to fight in World War I. The National Army was formed from the old core of the regular United States Army, augmented by units of the United States National Guard and a large draft of able-bodied men.[28]

text: The Selective Service Act established the broad outlines of the Army's structure. There were to be three increments:

text:
The Regular Army, to be raised immediately to the full wartime strength of 286,000 authorized in the National Defense Act of 1916;
The National Guard, also to be expanded immediately to the authorized strength of approximately 450,000; and
A National Army (the National Defense Act had called it a Volunteer Army), to be created in two increments of 500,000 men each at such time as the President should determine.

tag: ol

text: Much of the identity of these three segments eventually would be lost as recruits and draftees alike were absorbed in all units, so that in mid-1918 the War Department would change the designation of all land forces to one "United States Army." The original segment to which regiments, brigades, and divisions belonged nevertheless remained apparent from numerical designations. For the Regular Army, for example, divisions were numbered up to 25, while numbers 26 through 49 were reserved for the National Guard and 50 through higher numbers for divisions of the National Army.[29]

text: At its greatest size the National Army had more than six million men out of which 2 million fought on western front . Promotions within the National Army were quick, with most United States Army officers receiving double and triple promotions within a space of only two years.[disputed – discuss] Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the National Army as a captain and was a lieutenant colonel one year later. Douglas MacArthur also advanced quickly in the National Army, rising from major to brigadier general in two years.

text: The Army entered World War I with very large divisions, often numbering more than 30,000 men (the 4th Division contained 32,000, for example) and consisting of two infantry brigades of two regiments each, with a total of sixteen infantry battalions per division. Each division also had three artillery regiments and an engineer regiment.[30]

text: The United States joined World War I in April 1917 on the side of the Triple Entente (British Empire, France, and Russia). Because of the necessary period of training before the units were moved overseas, the first elements of the American Expeditionary Forces arrived in June 1917. Their first actions of the Western Front came in October 1917. U.S. troops contributed to the offensive that finally broke through the German lines. With the armistice on 11 November 1918, the Army once again decreased its forces.

text: Interwar period[edit]

text: The National Army was disbanded in 1920 and all personnel not subject to demobilization who had held ranks in the National Army were reverted to Regular Army status. George S. Patton, who had been a colonel in the National Army, returned to the Regular Army as a captain. Some, such as Douglas MacArthur, maintained their wartime rank in the Regular Army. For those keeping their wartime ranks the reality was, however, that they would usually remain at that specific rank for years. This often resulted in talented officers leaving service in the interwar years.

text: After establishing post-World War I divisions, the Army experienced a prolonged period of stagnation and deterioration. The National Defense Act of 1920 authorized a Regular Army of 296,000 men, but Congress gradually backed away from that number. As with the Regular Army, the National Guard never recruited its authorized 486,000 men, and the Organized Reserves became merely a pool of reserve officers. The root of the Army's problem was money. Congress yearly appropriated only about half the funds that the General Staff requested. Impoverished in manpower and funds, infantry and cavalry divisions dwindled to skeletal organizations.

text: Between 1923 and 1939 divisions gradually declined as fighting organizations. After Regular Army divisions moved to permanent posts, the War Department modified command relationships between divisional units and the corps areas, making division and brigade commanders responsible only for unit training. They were limited to two visits per year to their assigned elements – and that only if corps area commanders made funds available. Later, as a further economy move, the War Department reduced the number of command visits to one per year, a restriction that effectively destroyed the possibility of training units as combined arms teams.

text: World War II[edit]

text: During World War II, the Army of the United States was formed as a successor to the National Army. The Army of the United States operated on the same principles as its predecessor, combining Regular Army, National Guard, and conscript forces into one fighting unit. The Army of the United States also incorporated Reserve forces.

text: The Army fought World War II with more flexible divisions, consisting of three infantry regiments of three infantry battalions each. From the point of view of soldiers, most of their time was spent in training in the United States, with large numbers going overseas in 1944.[31]

text: The United States entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. On the European front, U.S. Army troops formed a significant portion of the forces that captured North Africa and Sicily and later fought in Italy. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, and in the subsequent liberation of Europe and defeat of Nazi Germany, millions of U.S. Army troops played a central role. In the Pacific, Army soldiers participated alongside the U.S. Marine Corps in the "island hopping" campaign that wrested the Pacific Islands from Japanese control. Following the Axis surrenders in May (Germany) and August (Japan) of 1945, Army troops were deployed to Japan and Germany to occupy the two defeated nations.

text: The U.S. Army Air Force, which was an outgrowth of the earlier Army Air Corps, had been virtually independent during the war. In 1947, it separated from the Army to become the United States Air Force.

text: Shortly after the war, in 1948, the Women's Armed Services Integration Act gave women permanent status in the Regular and Reserve forces of the Army.[32]

text: Cold War[edit]

text: The end of World War II set the stage for the East-West confrontation known as the Cold War. With the outbreak of the Korean War, concerns over the defense of Western Europe rose. Two corps, V and VII, were reactivated under Seventh United States Army in 1950 and American strength in Europe rose from one division to four. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops remained stationed in West Germany, with others in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, until the 1990s in anticipation of a possible Soviet attack.

text: During the Cold War, American troops and their allies fought Communist forces in Korea and Vietnam (see Domino Theory). The Korean War began in 1950, when the Soviets walked out of a U.N. Security Council meeting, removing their possible veto. Under a United Nations umbrella, hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops fought to prevent the takeover of South Korea by North Korea, and later, to invade the northern nation. After repeated advances and retreats by both sides, and the PRC People's Volunteer Army entry into the war, the Korean Armistice Agreement ended the war and returned the peninsula to the status quo in 1953.

text: During the 1950s, the Pentomic reorganization shifted the basic tactical unit from the regiment to the five-company battle group. Armored divisions did not change during the Pentomic era. Instead of brigades, an armored division had three Combat Commands designated: CCA, CCB, and CCC.

text: On 16 December 1960, the Army Chief of Staff directed a reappraisal of division organization. Resulting studies were carried out between January and April 1961, and fully implemented by 1965.[33] The resulting Reorganization of Army Divisions (ROAD) program shifted all types of divisions (Mechanized, Airborne, Armor, Infantry and Cavalry) to an identical structure of three brigades of three (sometimes four) battalions. The ROAD division consisted of a mix of nine to twelve armor and infantry battalions assigned to the division to meet the expected needs of the division based on its Mission, the likely Enemy, the Terrain/weather, and other forces available or Troops (METT). Each brigade would be assigned or attached the mix of battalions and companies based on the division commanders estimate based on METT. The ROAD concept was based on the armored divisions of WWII and Korea.

text: As operations continued, the division commander could and did move battalions and companies as needed by the flow of the battle. The 1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam had nine battalions spread as needed between the three brigade headquarters, but often moved the equivalent of one battalion each day by airlift from one side of the battefield to the other. An infantry battalion in 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam could expect having the number of companies under his command change at least once a day, with companies from different divisions not uncommon. In the "Heavy" divisions in Europe, a tank or infantry company could find itself moved to other battalions more than once a week, and to another brigade as needed.

text: Vietnam[edit]

text: The Vietnam War is often regarded as a low point in the Army's record due to the extensive use of drafted enlisted personnel versus mobilization of Army Reserve and Army National Guard personnel, the unpopularity of the war with the American public, and frustrating restrictions placed on the Army by U.S. political leaders (i.e., no invasion of communist-held North Vietnam). While American forces had been stationed in the Republic of Vietnam since 1959, in intelligence and advisory/training roles, they did not deploy in large numbers until 1965, after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. American forces effectively established and maintained control of the "traditional" battlefield, however they struggled to counter the guerrilla hit and run tactics of the communist Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. On a tactical level, American soldiers (and the U.S. military as a whole) did not lose a sizable battle.[34] For instance in the Tet Offensive in 1968, the U.S. Army turned a large scale attack by communist forces into a massive defeat of the Viet Cong on the battlefield (though at the time the offensive sapped the political will of the American public) which permanently weakened the guerrilla force. Thereafter, most large scale engagements were fought with the regular North Vietnamese Army. In 1973 domestic political opposition to the war finally forced a U.S. withdrawal. In 1975, Vietnam was unified under a communist government.

text: During the 1960s the Department of Defense continued to scrutinize the reserve forces and to question the number of divisions and brigades as well as the redundancy of maintaining two reserve components, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.[35] In 1967 Secretary of Defense McNamara decided that 15 combat divisions in the Army National Guard were unnecessary and cut the number to 8 divisions (1 mechanized infantry, 2 armored, and 5 infantry), but increased the number of brigades from 7 to 18 (1 airborne, 1 armored, 2 mechanized infantry, and 14 infantry). The loss of the divisions did not set well with the states. Their objections included the inadequate maneuver element mix for those that remained and the end to the practice of rotating divisional commands among the states that supported them. Under the proposal, the remaining division commanders were to reside in the state of the division base. No reduction, however, in total Army National Guard strength was to take place, which convinced the governors to accept the plan. The states reorganized their forces accordingly between 1 December 1967 and 1 May 1968.

text: Post Vietnam War[edit]

text: A "Total Force Policy" was adopted by Chief of Staff of the Army General Creighton Abrams in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and involved treating the three components of the Army – the Regular Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve as a single force.[36]

text: Training and Doctrine Command was established as a major U.S. Army command on 1 July 1973. The new command, along with the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), was created from the Continental Army Command (CONARC) located at Fort Monroe, VA. That action was the major innovation in the Army's post-Vietnam reorganization, in the face of realization that CONARC's obligations and span of control were too broad for efficient focus. The new organization functionally realigned the major Army commands in the continental United States. CONARC, and Headquarters, U.S. Army Combat Developments Command (CDC), situated at Fort Belvoir, VA, were discontinued, with TRADOC and FORSCOM at Fort Belvoir assuming the realigned missions. TRADOC assumed the combat developments mission from CDC, took over the individual training mission formerly the responsibility of CONARC, and assumed command from CONARC of the major Army installations in the United States housing Army training center and Army branch schools. FORSCOM assumed CONARC's operational responsibility for the command and readiness of all divisions and corps in the continental U.S. and for the installations where they were based.

text: The 1980s was mostly a decade of reorganization. The Army converted to an all-volunteer force with greater emphasis on training and technology.[37] The Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 created Unified Combatant Commands bringing the Army together with the other three military branches under unified, geographically organized command structures. The Army also played a role in the invasions of Grenada in 1983 (Operation Urgent Fury) and Panama in 1989 (Operation Just Cause).

text: By 1989 Germany was nearing reunification and the Cold War was coming to a close. The Army leadership reacted by starting to plan for a reduction in strength. By November 1989 Pentagon briefers were laying out plans for 'Operation Quicksilver,' a plan to reduce Army endstrength by 23%, from 750,000 to 580,000.[38] A number of incentives such as early retirement were used. In 1990 Iraq invaded its smaller neighbor, Kuwait, and U.S. land forces, led by the 82nd Airborne Division, quickly deployed to assure the protection of Saudi Arabia. In January 1991 Operation Desert Storm commenced, a U.S.-led coalition which deployed over 500,000 troops, the bulk of them from U.S. Army formations, to drive out Iraqi forces. The campaign ended in a victory for the Army, as Western coalition forces routed the Iraqi Army, organized along Soviet lines, in just one hundred hours.

text: After Desert Storm, the Army did not see major combat operations for the remainder of the 1990s. Army units did participate in a number of peacekeeping activities, such as the UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia in 1993, where the abortive Operation Gothic Serpent led to the deaths of eighteen American soldiers and the withdrawal of international forces. The Army also contributed troops to NATO peacekeeping forces in the former Yugoslavia from December 1995, initially with IFOR. U.S. Army forces only left Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2004 with the disestablishment of Task Force Eagle on November 24, 2004.[39] U.S. Army troops remain in Kosovo with KFOR.

text: During the first half of the decade the Army deactivated 8 of its 18 active divisions:

text:
2nd Armored Division in 1995
3rd Armored Division in 1992
5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in 1992
6th Infantry Division (Light) in 1994
7th Infantry Division (Light) in 1994
8th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in 1992
9th Infantry Division (Motorized) in 1991
24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in 1996

text: as well as two of its ten National Guard divisions:

text:
50th Armored Division in 1993
26th Infantry Division (Light) in 1993

text: Plans to convert two Army National Guard divisions to cadre formations were rejected by Congress in 1992.[40]

text: During the mid-late 1990s, the Army trialled Force XXI. One of its initiatives was Task Force 21 (also called Task Force XXI), a battlefield digitized brigade formed for the Advanced Warfighting Exercises in 1997 to test Force XXI concepts, technology, and tactics. The brigade was formed from the 4th Infantry Division (which replaced the deactivated 2d Armored Division in 1992) and the 1st Cavalry Division as early as 1992, with some field testing beginning at Fort Hood in late 1992, early 1993. The 4th Infantry Division units assigned were 3-66 Armor and 1-22 Infantry, both of the 3d Brigade, while 1st Cavalry Division drew soldiers across a variety of support and combat fields.

text: Technologies tested included Software-defined radios, Applique computers, Ground Surveillance Radar, Satellite radio email systems, and Advanced UAV technology. TF-XXI participated in various Advanced Warfighting Exercises, including WARRIOR FOCUS (1995 #4).

text: 21st century[edit]

text: On September 11, 2001, 53 Army civilians (47 employees and six contractors) and 22 soldiers were among the 125 victims killed in the Pentagon in a terrorist attack when American Airlines Flight 77 commandeered by five Al-Qaeda hijackers slammed into the western side of the building, as part of the September 11 attacks. Lieutenant General Timothy Maude was the highest-ranking military official killed at the Pentagon, and the most senior U.S. Army officer killed by foreign action since the death of Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. on June 18, 1945, in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.

text: In response to the September 11 attacks, and as part of the Global War on Terror, U.S. and NATO combined arms (i.e. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Special Operations) forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, replacing the Taliban government.

text: The Army took part in the combined U.S. and allied 2003 invasion of Iraq. Within months the mission changed from conflict between regular militaries to counterinsurgency, with large numbers of suicide attacks resulting in the deaths of more than 4,000 U.S. service members (as of March 2008) and injuries to thousands more.[41]

text: Most of the units that carried out the ground campaign phase of the invasion of Iraq, and who bore the larger part of the conflict with the Iraqi military in 2003 were those of the Army. Since then, they have performed numerous operations against insurgents.

text: The Army has had to make several adjustments to address demands on its personnel and equipment. The US Army has utilized its stop-loss policy and has required more of its combat personnel to serve more tours of duty than before, due to the need for experienced personnel. As opposed to Vietnam, there was no involuntary draft of enlisted males into the Army. Instead, the service employed its Total Force model and mobilized/recalled to active duty numerous Army National Guard and Army Reserve combat arms, combat support and combat service support units and personnel, often deploying many of them repeatedly to the Southwest Asia combat zone in a manner similar to their Regular Army counterparts.

text: There are deep concerns about effects on the psychological health of US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Suicides among US soldiers have been rising, and have reached their highest rate in 26 years. This increase has coincided with US deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq.[42]

text: During the insurgency, it was found that most Army and Marine Corps vehicles such as HMMWVs were insufficiently armored, leading to efforts to add greater armor to protect against improvised explosive devices. Some soldiers added armor by using modifications known as hillbilly armor. In the short term, HMMWVs in service in Iraq are being replaced by Category 1 MRAP vehicles, primarily the Force Protection Cougar H and the International MaxxPro.[43] The US Marine Corps plans to replace all HMMWVs patrolling "outside the wire" with MRAP vehicles.

text: The lack of stability in Iraq has led to longer deployments for Regular Army as well as Army Reserve and Army National Guard troops. U.S. troops withdrew in December 2011, but fighting continues. 3,293 US Army personnel were killed in the conflict.[44]

text: The Army's chief modernization plan was the Future Combat Systems program. Many systems were canceled and the remaining were swept into the BCT modernization program.[citation needed]

text: Personnel[edit]

text:
1775–1783: 17,000 (Continental Army without militias)
1784: 700 (First American Regiment)
1793: 5,100 (Legion of the United States)
1812: 7,000
1815: 35,800
1846: 8,600
1848: 32,000
1861: 16,400 (Regular Army, before the American Civil War)
1865: 1,000,516 (Union Army)
1898: 25,000
1917: 286,000
1939: 189,800
1945: 8,267,958
2017: 460,000