This article was originally published Jan. 19, 2021, by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The U.S. Justice Department has filed charges against an Iranian political scientist accused of being an agent for Iran’s government. The Justice ...
How PIGs Become HOGs — A Visual Journey in Marine Corps Scout Sniper Training
Marine Corps scout snipers are legendary for their tactical proficiency, physical and mental toughness, and extraordinary abilities as reconnaissance and surveillance professionals and force multipliers on the battlefield. Intelligence, extreme ...
Conservative Rappers Fight Back as Viral Anthem ‘The Patriot’ Gets Canceled
When a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol building Jan. 6, conservative hip-hop artists Christopher “Topher” Townsend and The Marine Rapper (TMR) were a mile away on stage at a Veterans for Trump rally, ...
The Use of Force Guidelines — Including Deadly Force — Soldiers Must Adhere To in US Capital for Inauguration
The more than 25,000 National Guard soldiers that have deployed to Washington, DC, to bolster security for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony Wednesday are operating under stringent rules for the use of force. Coffee or Die Magazine ...
‘I Thought I Might Die’ — DC Police Officers on What It Was Like To Fight and Survive Riot in US Capitol Building
After a mob of rioters dragged him out of the west front entrance and onto the steps of the US Capitol building Jan. 6, DC Police Officer Mike Fanone thought he was going to die. As the angry crowd of President Donald Trump’s supporters dragged ...
WATCH: Trump Condemns ‘Mob Violence,’ Calls on Supporters to ‘Promote Peace in Our Country’
On Wednesday — the same day the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump for the second time, the president put out a video message via the White House’s official Twitter account, condemning the violent attack on the Capitol and ...
‘I Am Not a Traitor,’ Says Retired SEAL Questioned by FBI for Deleted Video About Capitol Assault
After retired Navy SEAL Adam Newbold bragged Jan. 6 in a since-deleted Facebook video about rioters breaching the Capitol, the FBI reached out to him with questions. “There was destruction breaching the Capitol, our building, our house,” Newbold ...
Joint Chiefs to Military Members: Biden Will Be President, Any Act to Disrupt Process is Illegal
In the wake of last week’s violent assault on the US Capitol, the nation’s top military leaders put out an unambiguous message to military members: President-elect Joe Biden will become the commander-in-chief Jan. 20, and “any act to disrupt the ...
‘QAnon Shaman’ Arrested After Capitol Siege Is a Navy Veteran Discharged for Refusing Vaccine
The 33-year-old costumed man who became a viral sensation after images spread in news reports of his participation in the siege of the US Capitol Jan. 6 is a Navy veteran, according to Military.com. Arizona resident Jacob Anthony Chansley, who ...
Officials Are Investigating an Army Officer’s Involvement in the ‘Stop the Steal’ Rally
The Army’s 1st Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is investigating the involvement of a Fort Bragg-based soldier in the Jan. 6 rally in Washington during which a mob of rioters breached the US Capitol. Capt. Emily Rainey, a ...
Every Marine Is a Rifleman — And Now With a Suppressor
This article was originally published Nov. 3, 2020, on Sandboxx News. Follow Sandboxx News on Instagram. Starting in December, the Marine Corps began issuing thousands of rifle suppressors to its infantry, reconnaissance, and special operations ...
Sergeant Major of the Army Turns to Instagram to Improve Command Climate, Meme Pages Respond
As 2020 came to an end, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston reached out on Instagram for help improving leadership and morale going forward. “Seeing a lot of pages on here that don’t seem to think we are talking to or actually caring about our ...
Emotions Run High as Veterans React to Violence, Flag Removal in Capitol
Most days, Marine veteran Jake Cowan proudly displays the American flag on his favorite camouflage ball cap. The day after protesters clashed with police and stormed the US Capitol building, Cowan turned his flag patch upside down. “Yeah ... yeah ...
Woman Killed While Storming Capitol Was an Air Force and National Guard Veteran from San Diego
The woman shot and killed inside the Capitol Wednesday has been identified as 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, a California native and veteran of the Air Force and National Guard. Babbitt’s ex-husband, Timothy McEntee, told the Washington Post Babbit ...
‘Stop the Steal’ Rally Turns Violent as Protesters Storm Capitol Building, Shut Down Congress
One woman was shot inside the US Capitol Wednesday afternoon after dozens of protesters stormed the building and forced a shutdown of debate on the Senate floor as Congress met to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win. Footage ...
10 Former Defense Secretaries Warn Against Military Intervention as Trump Supporters Seek To Block Election Certification
The day after a recording emerged of President Donald Trump urging Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, The Washington Post published an unprecedented op-ed penned by all 10 ...
Portland Homicides Hit 26-Year High in 2020
In Portland, Oregon, four fatal shootings the weekend before Christmas pushed the city’s number of homicides for the year to 53 — a 26-year high. In the first five months of 2020, the city had three homicides. Starting in June, violence surged. ...
‘Lethal Weapon’ vs ‘Die Hard’: Which Is the Better Christmas Movie?
Some people say there’s a war on Christmas. I’m not so sure that’s true, but just in case, well, thanks to my last stimulus check, now I have a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho. Hashtag 2020, amiright? War on Christmas or no, one thing is certain: At ...
6 Great Christmas Movies: Military and First Responder Edition
It wouldn't be Christmas without listicles about Christmas movies. So while there are many like it, this military and first responder edition is ours. All of these films have a tie (some stronger than others) to the military and first responder ...
VBSS, Mando-Style: A Recon Marine Analyzes ‘The Mandalorian’ Finale’s Ship-Seizure Operation
Since Disney dropped The Mandalorian with its new streaming service last year, Jon Favreau’s wildly popular space western has united disparate factions within the Star Wars fandom. These groups had otherwise pledged to fight to their last breath ...
That One Time Andy Rooney Slapped Patton
In May 2008, the Department of Defense held its annual Communicators of Excellence Awards ceremony at the Defense Information School (DINFOS) on Fort Meade, Maryland. The event recognizes the DOD’s best storytellers in the fields of public affairs ...
11 Quotes That Show the Awesomeness of Gen. George Patton
Gen. George S. Patton was a complicated military figure, but there can be little debate over whether he was quotable. Perhaps most famous for his commanding of the 7th Army during World War II, Old “Blood and Guts” often gave rousing speeches to ...
‘Chosin’: The Jaw-Dropping, Must-Watch Documentary About the Legendary Korean War Battle
The name “Chosin” has a particular gravity in the minds of United States Marines. The legendary fighting spirit of the thousands of 1st Marine Division members who earned the moniker the “Frozen Chosen” during the Korean War’s Battle of the Chosin ...
Biden’s Pick for VA Secretary Garners Lukewarm Response from Veterans Groups
President-elect Joe Biden’s selection of former Obama White House chief of staff Denis McDonough for Secretary of Veterans Affairs has been met with a lukewarm reception from veterans groups. McDonough has no military or health care background ...
Remembering John le Carré, the British Spy Turned Acclaimed Novelist Who Penned ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ and Other Celebrated Works
John le Carré, the former British spy who elevated the spy-novel genre to high art with his intricately plotted thrillers and morally complex characters, died Saturday in Cornwall, England. He was 89. Le Carré’s family said he died of pneumonia, ...
Trump Signs Law Promoting Use of Public Lands, Outdoor Activities To Improve Veteran Health
President Donald Trump signed into law Saturday the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, or AVROA, a bipartisan bill that will make it easier for veterans to use the outdoors to promote and improve mental and physical health and ease their ...
Pearl Harbor Sailors Who Perished in Attack Identified After 79 Years
Ahead of today’s 79th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Dec. 1 that after an extensive effort it had accounted for the remains of four more sailors killed in the attack. The ...
‘You’re Saving Lives With This’ — How a Hunting Trip for Veterans Could Be a National Model for Better Health
teve Houghton’s rugged face shone orange in the firelight as he pulled in a deep breath of the frigid Montana backcountry air and shifted in his chair before taking his turn at a personal story. The stress lines of an often-furrowed brow and eyes ...
Exclusive: Boot Marines Divulge Illicit Details of Battalion-Wide LSD Trip
The Marines were somewhere around their motor pool on Camp Lejeune when the drugs began to take hold. That’s according to Pfc. Stockton Fitzgerald, one of two Marines from 2nd Marine Division’s Combat Logistics Battalion 2 who have come forward as ...
The Story Behind Chesty Puller’s 5 Navy Crosses and 2 Other Major Valor Awards
Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller is something like a god to United States Marines. To call Chesty a legend feels like an understatement for any Marine who has been properly indoctrinated in the ways of the World’s Finest Fighting Force. Marines are ...