FORT HUACHUCA — For more than two centuries, the U.S. Army has fought and won the nation’s wars.

Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Yockey wears the U.S. Army uniform from the Mexican-American War era during Friday’s salute to Flag Day and to the Army’s 233rd birthday during a ceremony at Chaffee Parade Field on Fort Huachuca.(Mark Levy•Wick News Service)

But during the 233 years, America’s senior service also has saved lives, delivered clean food and water to refugees, and upheld “democracy in Iraq and ensuring peace in Afghanistan,” the fort’s senior officer said on Friday. “Whatever the mission, America turns to her Army for help during times of crises, and the Army always delivers success,” said Maj. Gen. John Custer, looking across Chaffee Parade Field with a large representation of soldiers from a number of units in front of him.

Those who have served, are serving or will serve will always uphold the Army’s values of duty, honor, country, selfless service and sacrifice, “the codes by which will live,” said Custer, commander of the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca.

“This year, as we celebrate our Army’s birthday, we must be mindful that we are a nation at war,” he said. “Yesterday (Thursday) in San Diego, I buried a 23-year-old soldier and presented his mother with a Bronze Star for Valor.”

The soldier he honored was Sgt. Cody Legg, who was mortally wounded while attempting to rescue two wounded members of his squad in Iraq.

The constant in the past 233 years is that soldiers are willing to sacrifice themselves for their buddies and their nation, he said.

As part of the ceremony, the 176 streamers from the Revolutionary War through today’s war on terror were symbolically reattached to the Army flag by Command Sgts. Maj. Jerry Wykoff and Donald G. Manley. The soldiers were handed the streamers by post soldiers dressed in uniforms reflecting the different periods. Wykoff is the senior noncommissioned officer for the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca, and Manley has the same position in the Network Enterprise Technology Command.

Today is also Flag Day, a time to honor the 231st birthday of the establishment of the Stars and Stripes as the national banner.

First the Army was created in 1775, then independence declared in 1776 and a flag for the Army to fight under was adopted in 1777.

As part of the ceremony, Custer and the youngest soldier on the post — Pvt. Benjamin Owen, 17, of Echo Company, 309th Military Intelligence Battalion — cut a ceremonial birthday cake using a  cavalry saber from the 1800s.

Custer said it was Gen. of the Army Douglas MacArthur who put the importance of soldiers into simple words saying: “Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory, and if we fail, the nation will be destroyed.”