History
From the mountains of Italy to the mountains of Afghanistan, the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division built its legendary reputation by fighting in some of the most inhospitable places in the world.
Before their time at the top of the rifle food chain finally ended, both the M16A2 and the M16A4 proved to be among the most reliable and lethal weapons ever built.
For the better part of the 20th Century, the Tommy Gun was the weapon of choice for federal agents, organized crime, and American commandos.
The Navy Cross — the branch’s second-highest award for valor in combat — isn’t handed out to just anybody. It’s earned.
Before and after his presidency were some of the greatest contributions Jimmy Carter made to the world we know today.
Eddie Rickenbacker, the “ace of aces,” may have broken the record for aerial victories in World War I, but that was hardly the most remarkable part of his extraordinary life.
The reason some hydration devices — like the hand-held canteen — have staying power is because of their simple versatility.
More than half of US presidents served in the military, but only a handful have impressive service records.
The Pentagon, with its five huge office rings and hot dog stand “bunker,” has myths and secrets running through its massive halls.
Like its famous namesake, the M4 Sherman tank proved that the quickest path to battlefield victory is through sheer, American-made firepower.
Only five pilots have ever become triple aces. Only one did it with two different airplanes.
The dreaded Dear John: the wartime breakup notice that took weeks to arrive in the mail.
Valentine’s Day is amateur hour. In the world of espionage, spies lure, lie, and love to steal secrets.
American literature is full of writers who either served in the military or really wanted to but got rejected by the draft board. Here are 10 great "military writers" and the stories of their service.
Ernest Hemingway, the American author so closely associated with the ethos of soldiering, may not have served in the military, but that didn’t keep him from winning medals in both world wars.
The USS The Sullivans, named for five brothers killed in the Pacific, was the first American warship designated in honor of more than one person.
Before he was a literary superstar, Edgar Allan Poe was a high-ranking cannon cocker who really hated life in the United States Army.
How a battleship called the USS Alabama survived World War II to become a symbol of pride and patriotism for Alabamians.
The M203 has bailed US forces out of sticky situations for over half a century. Now, it’s time to say goodbye to the old grenade launcher and usher in a new era of indirect fire.
Though often described as a political conservative, Hemingway openly supported socialist luminaries like Fidel Castro and Eugene Debs, a founder of the American Socialist Party.
From the American Civil War to present day, the US military has produced its fair share of supposedly haunted locales.
Two centuries ago, during the American Revolution, a German soldier lost his head to a cannonball, and the legend of the headless horseman was born.
Developed to protect Nazi pilots and inflict mass civilian casualties, the V-1 rocket ushered in a new era of long-range warfare.
On D-Day+1, a US Army photographer captured an image on Omaha Beach that he would later describe as “the picture of heroic beauty.”
After extensive renovations, the NSA’s National Cryptologic Museum in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, is reopening its doors with a trove of never-before-seen artifacts.
Teetotaling Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels inspired your “cup of joe.”
From pinup girls to Disney cartoons, the imagery that adorned the A-2 bomber jackets of WWII bomber crewmen reflected who they were as both warriors and individuals.
This 6-foot bronze statue of a World War II frogman, the Naked Warrior, honors the legacy of the elite waterborne commandos and their skimpy battle attire.
The Navy UDT swimmers wore flowers on their dive suits to recover Apollo 11, because someone told them not to.
It's a great slogan beloved by the Navy for centuries. But does it belong to the Marines?
Special Agent Leonard “Lenny” Hatton Jr. made the ultimate sacrifice trying to save others on Sept. 11, 2001. He was the only FBI agent killed in the attacks.
Queen Elizabeth broke with decorum in the days after 9/11, renewing the UK's commitments.
The British government's elaborate plan for the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Here are five of the craziest campaigns in the long, bizarre history of American psychological operations.
In the 1970s, over-the-pole flights passed between Alaska and Europe every day. To prepare for poten...
From an American pirate who declared himself president of Nicaragua to an adventurer who hired a pri...
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces occupied Guam, taking all but six American service members captive. One US sailor, known as the “Ghost of Guam,” evaded them for years.
“I claim we got a hell of a beating. We got run out of Burma and it is humiliating as hell. I think we ought to find out what caused it, go back and retake it.”
Neal McCallum dedicated 46 years of service to Uncle Sam, first as a US Marine in World War II, then later as a federal law enforcement officer.
