The Military for Dummies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pentagon

The massive Pentagon building is actually in Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It houses the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the commanding generals for each service.

Answer: Draft

All males were required to register with the Selective Service Administration shortly after their 18th birthdays. During the Vietnam era, most boys weren't drafted until they were 19 years old.

Answer: Basic training

Drill sergeants were given a short period of time to turn boys into men. The film "Full Metal Jacket" portrays a group of young men going through a U.S. Marine basic training or boot camp as it is commonly called.

Answer: Marching

It is curious as to why boys preparing to go off to battle need to know how to march in a straight line. For a comedic look at Army basic training the movie "Stripes" is hilarious.

Answer: Kitchen police

A Webster definition of "police" is "to make clean and put in order". K.P has nothing to do with law enforcement and is often used as punishment for underachievement or rules violations,

Answer: General

An army general wears four stars, a lieutenant general three, a major general two and a brigadier general one. In 1944 during World War II, a five star rank was created for General of the Army, General of the Air Force and Fleet Admiral. Nine men have worn five stars, the last being General of the Army Omar Bradley who died in 1981.

There was a push to create a six star general rank for Douglas MacArthur, but the end of World War II eliminated the necessity.

Answer: 5

The top U.S. ace of World War II was Richard Bong with 40 air victories. Interestingly, 15 German Luftwaffe pilots had over 200 victories each, and Erich Hartmann had 352 making him the top ace of all time.

Answer: Gold Star

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration followed by the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star. The late Hollywood actor Audie Murphy was the most highly decorated American soldier. He portrayed himself in the autobiographical film "To Hell and Back".

Answer: Sea air land

The Navy's SEALs are members of the Naval Special Warfare community and are trained to operate in all environments (SEa, Air, and Land). A SEAL team was credited with eliminating Osama Bin Laden.

Answer: President

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states: "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States." However, only the U.S. Congress can declare war and appropriate funds to finance military operations.