A commonly held opinion among Hungarian intellectuals is that several
outstanding Hungarian personalities in sciences and the arts, as well as in
the military dimension of American history, have considerably contributed
to the development of the United States into a superpower. In this paper,
I focus on examining the latter aspects of two centuries of Hungarian–
American relations, and in particular, I aim to provide a concise outline
of the contribution of the most renowned Hungarians to the American
military successes and advances, from the War of Independence to Vietnam
and beyond. I will present less familiar historical evidence in this matter,
which highlights the significance of Hungarian Americans’ in US military
and political history.
The emergence and military contribution of Hungarians overseas in
the New World started in the late eighteenth century with the rebellious
and defiant opposition of the New England colonies against the British
Empire, resulting in the American War of Independence and the birth of
the United States in 1776. Heralding Hungarians’ heroism, as well as their
military and political contribution to American history, there are several
statues, busts, memorial plaques, streets, and even military quarters and
ships bearing the names of legendary Hungarian figures to be presented in
the following pages.
