It’s important to understand that your odds of being attacked by a ninja are low, but they’re never zero. Our nation’s most elite flying unit, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, recently learned this lesson the hard way. A man armed ...
Too Efficient at Maiming and Killing? Here Are the Top 5 Combat Shotguns
Americans began fielding shotguns on the battlefield during the final stretch of World War I and with great effect. German soldiers, who had regularly utilized chlorine gas on their enemies, found the wounds left by the weapons to be egregious and ...
Expectation Versus Reality: The Chow Time Edition
Sticking your fork in military chow is a lot like sticking your fork in an electric socket: Outcomes may vary, but a shocking experience that ends with you shitting your pants is definitely a possibility. Now, we’re not knocking our military ...
The 5 Longest Confirmed Sniper Kills in History
No single soldier on the battlefield is more revered — or more reviled — than the sniper. From tales of a long shot by The White Feather to tales of the long list of bodies that The White Death left behind, mythic stories of snipers and their ...
What Your Coffee Brew Method Says About You
We're serious about coffee and know that it's not how you take it, but how you make it, that says a lot about you. That’s why we took the time to do an in-depth psychoanalysis on what certain brewing methods say about a person. No matter how you brew ...
Air Force Members Surprised to Learn the Service’s Birthday
Happy Birthday, Air Force! Today the United States Air Force celebrates 74 years of being the branch that everyone hates but secretly wishes they had joined. On Sept. 18, 1947, the United States Air Force was created and took the easiest job the ...
Driving Buses and 5 Other Roles the National Guard Can Fill in Public Schools
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 250 National Guard personnel Monday, Sept. 13, to drive students to school in some Massachusetts cities and towns amid widespread bus driver shortages. While it can be argued that there is definitely a ...
Top 5 Martial Arts Used By Militaries Around The World
In the early days of the war in Afghanistan, a Green Beret on a night raid suddenly found himself in a fight in which no weapon or technology mattered: a hand-to-hand fight to the death. On Jan. 23, 2002, Master Sgt. Anthony Pryor’s special forces ...
Expectation Versus Reality: The War in Afghanistan
If history is the best teacher, America is its worst student. Several countries throughout history have marched into Afghanistan, and each one of them left with their own hard-learned lessons. Never to be deterred, the United States ignored these ...
Tools of the Trade: Top 5 Trench Raid Weapons of World War I
Trench raids were tactical assaults in World War I in which small parties of soldiers would slip out from their dug-in trenches under the cover of night and, after sneaking across the deadly "no man's land," attack their enemy's positions. The ...
How Your Ranger Panties Can Win the Battle of the Bulge
This article won't be long, and judging by the fact that you’re reading it, that’s probably a recurring theme in your life. Don’t sweat it. It’s not the size of the boat, sailor, it’s the motion of the ocean … or however that lie goes. We were all ...
‘He Would Give Anything for Anybody’: California Community Honors Marine Killed in Kabul
As Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola pushed further into his mission at Kabul, he wanted his mom to know he would be out of touch, but he would be okay. “Mom, I won't be able to talk to you for a little while," he wrote, days before he was killed. ...
5 Rare Survival Rifles Designed for Air Force Crews That Crash in the Wilderness
On Dec. 21, 1943, Lt. Leon Crane was conducting a flyover of the Alaska interior when one of the engines of his B-24 Liberator malfunctioned and caused the aircraft to spiral out of control. Crane grabbed a parachute and dove from the open bomb bay ...
Cyborgs, Spider Tanks, and Butterfly Grenades: How America Will Dominate the Beast Wars
As the Pentagon shifts priorities to prepare for future threats, two recent Army Research Lab studies suggest Beast Wars could be the way of America's future. The Army is apparently taking another crack at modernizing its force by (checks notes) ...
6 Veterans Who Fought in Afghanistan React to the Country’s Collapse
The collapse of Afghanistan hit home for many veterans, and if there were ever such a thing as a ceremonious end to a war, this wouldn't be it. Let's not mince words here. The United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan has been nothing short of an ...
As Afghanistan Falls, We Remind You: Stand Proud of Your Service
Watching the fall of Afghanistan back home in the United States is fraught with emotions. Many of my fellow veterans will say they’re not surprised at current events. It appears eerily similar to our Vietnam Veterans watching as helicopters evacuated ...
Who’s Got Next? 5 Candidates for America’s Next War
Here’s a fun fact: Since July 4, 1776, America has had just 17 years of peace. For perspective, SpongeBob has been on the air for just over 20 years. That means we the people are more committed to a cartoon sponge and his starfish sidekick than we ...
Expectation Versus Reality: Being a Woman in the Military
Women have always been an integral part of America's military and have often shouldered more than their fair share. On the night of June 1, 1863, famed abolitionist and Union spymaster Harriet Tubman boarded a federal ship accompanied by two ...
10 Crayon Flavors Marines Are Sure To Love, According to a Soldier
Have you tried to burn a Marine with a crayon joke lately? It just doesn’t land the way it used to. The “Marines eat crayons” meme — once a vibrant wellspring of laughably clichéd caricatures and shallow stereotypes about how dumb Marines are — is ...
10 Pro Sports Teams We’d Like To Rename for the Military Industrial Comp — Er, the Troops
What do Ohio and outer space have in common (besides being utterly inhospitable to human life)? Last Friday, the Cleveland Indians announced the club would be changing its name to the Cleveland Guardians. The organization sifted through ...
When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong: Military Edition
"When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong" is a classic comedy sketch by Dave Chappelle in which he depicts normal, everyday people making the decision to "keep it real" when faced with situations in which they would typically bite their tongues. While we ...
The Fake Marriage Survival Guide for Troops Getting Hitched for Extra Money
Are you a service member who is considering marrying someone that you met at the bar last night just so you can move out of the barracks and make enough money to afford smokes and food? While the added bonuses that married service members receive on ...
Call of Staff Duty: If Military Video Games Were Honest
Much of the public’s perception of the military comes from less-than-accurate sources. Tell someone what you did in the military, and they’ll inevitably tie it to a movie, TV show, or — worst of all — video game. While most cinematic and literary ...
Expectation Versus Reality: Combat Medic Edition
Combat medic. Just the utterance of the title brings to mind intense, profound imagery. A young medic renders aid to his wounded brothers in the chaos of battle. With deft hands and ice in his veins, the steely-eyed medic stabilizes his squad mate ...
How To Smoke Privates and Not Get Canceled: A Guide for the Modern NCO
In the more than 245 years of its existence, the US military has changed a lot. While uniforms and equipment are constantly being updated or mothballed, one thing has stayed unshakably the same: Privates are still idiots. Even in 1775, sergeants ...
Did the Phone Call for Fire Scene in ‘Heartbreak Ridge’ Really Happen?
While typically rooted in true events, war films often take “creative liberties” in the portrayal of military members and their exploits. Heartbreak Ridge is no exception, but there’s one famously far-fetched scene in the cult classic that may have ...
10 Freedom Flicks To Watch This Fourth of July Weekend
It's the Fourth of July weekend, which means it's time to get yourself in the freedom-loving mood with some epic patriotic cinema. We've put together a list of 10 American-as-fuck films and shows to get your Liberty Bell ringing. You bring the beer ...
Real-Life ‘Simple Jack’? The American POW Who Protected Hundreds by Playing Dumb
It’s hard to imagine that a small-town farm boy from South Dakota would have an adept understanding of fifth-century Chinese military philosophy, but regardless of whether Douglas Hegdahl had actually read The Art of War, he embodied one of its most ...
In Penis Video, Air Force Goes Hard on Member Education
The world is full of many mysteries and great questions. Are we alone in the universe? Is Bigfoot real? Why did the Air Force recently upload a penis video to a government-run website? Did that last one get you? It got us too. Let’s talk about ...
5 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Rambo ‘First Blood’
Rambo. Just the name brings to mind a mix of hyper-masculine imagery and badassery. Big guns, big knives, and big, luscious hair. It doesn't get more classic 1980s action hero than Rambo. Despite First Blood's now iconic status, here are some ...