Before he completed an enlistment in the US Marine Corps, Maximilian Uriarte had already launched Terminal Lance — the wildly popular and often irreverent military comic strip about life as a Marine grunt. Since Uriarte’s comic debuted in 2010, ...
Portland’s Streets Calm on First Night After Oregon State Police Replace Feds
Portland’s streets saw no violence and were relatively quiet Thursday — the 64th consecutive night of protests and the first night since federal agents agreed to cede their mission of protecting federal buildings in the city to Oregon State Police. ...
Tensions Rise in Portland After Questionable Arrests, Oregon Lawmakers Demand Withdrawal of Federal Special Operations Units
In the wake of several questionable arrests and violent tactics by federal agents during ongoing protests in Portland, both of Oregon’s U.S. senators and the two House members who represent Portland sent a letter Friday to U.S. Attorney General ...
The Marine Who Couldn’t Stop Serving
The project started with a conversation over beers about a difficult topic: suicide. It was 2011, and Zach Iscol was catching up with his former commanding officer, retired U.S. Marine Colonel Willard "Willie" Buhl, when the conversation turned ...
A Woman Completed Special Forces Training; These Operators Have Some Thoughts
On July 9, a female National Guard soldier became the first woman to graduate from U.S. Army Special Forces training since Capt. Katie Wilder did so in 1980, earning the coveted Green Beret. The woman, whose identity the Army is withholding for ...
Video: A Look at Life Aboard the US Navy’s New Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship
The USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) is one of the U.S. Navy’s new Freedom Class littoral combat ships. Commissioned last fall, the ship’s motto, “Legacy of War,” reflects that ships named Indianapolis have served in World War I, World War II, and the Cold ...
Declassified Documents Reveal DOD Knew Troops Were Exposed to Dangerous Toxins at Air Base in Uzbekistan
Recently declassified documents revealed that the Department of Defense knew thousands of U.S. service members who deployed to a former Soviet air base in southeastern Uzbekistan in the early years of the war on terror were exposed to hazardous ...
The Story Behind the Story: Two Great Books About Vietnam
Vietnam was a terrible war. But — as is so often the case in war — beautiful art and literature emerged from the hellfire, death, and wreckage. So goes the old Catch-22 of the human experience: No pleasure without pain. No yin without yang. Great ...
Utopian Dreaming in Seattle’s Autonomous Zone: My Weekend Inside the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest
had seen the Fox News report June 10: “Seattle helpless as armed guards patrol anarchists’ ‘autonomous zone,’ shake down businesses.” Above the headline, superimposed on a banner image of a protester running past burning cars and buildings, was the ...
The USO to Air First-Ever Virtual Fourth of July Concert Special
The USO will air its first-ever virtual Fourth of July Concert Special at 12 AM and 12 PM EDT on Independence Day. The special will feature country music icon Clint Black and a variety of USO tour veterans and celebrities who will perform and share ...
Pentagon Changes Policy on CBD, Hemp Oil — Here’s What You Need to Know
The Department of Defense recently prohibited the use of hemp oil and CBD products for all active-duty and reserve military members. CBD, or cannabidiol, is marijuana’s second most prevalent chemical compound and is frequently used for medicinal ...
Report: ‘Utterly Baffling’ Leadership Failures Contributed to COVID-19 Outbreak That Killed 76 at Veterans’ Home
Major leadership failures contributed to the deaths of 76 veterans as a COVID-19 infection spread like wildfire through the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts, according to an independent investigation ordered by Gov. Charlie Baker. “Some of ...
Protestors Attempt to Establish Autonomous Zone Outside White House; Seattle CHOP ‘Is Over’
Protesters tried to tear down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson and establish a “Black House Autonomous Zone” (BHAZ) a block from the White House in Lafayette Park Monday night. The crowd smashed wooden wheels of replica cannons ...
This Impromptu National Anthem Duet is Everything America Needs Right Now
A week before massive protests and civil unrest spread across the United States, Madisen Hallberg, a graduating senior at Portland State University, recorded a special rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner for her college’s virtual commencement ...
‘This is Our Moment’: Sheriff who Walked With Protestors in Flint, Michigan, Talks Reform
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who serves residents in and around Flint, Michigan, became a viral sensation when he walked into a sea of protestors May 30, put down his helmet and baton, and said, “You tell us what you need.” When the ...
Inside Seattle’s Autonomous Zone, Pro-Gun Leftists Provide Security
The protestors who took over the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct and established a no-cop zone in the surrounding area have a clandestine armed security force patrolling the area, but news reports that the force is using “stop and frisk” ...
Recovering from COVID-19: Marine Veteran Fights to Rebuild Body in Time for Marine Corps Marathon
The weekend before she was diagnosed with COVID-19, Mackenzie Wolf was sitting on her couch in her apartment in Ellicott City, Maryland, when the intense fatigue and lightheadedness got so bad she started seeing black spots. “I remember sitting my ...
Portland Police Chief Steps Down, Mayor Promises Bold Reforms as Protestors Call for Defunding
For the 11th day in a row, protestors took to the streets Sunday in Portland, Oregon, demonstrating against police brutality and demanding criminal justice reforms. Hundreds of protestors — most of them white — gathered outside the Multnomah ...
VIDEO: Legendary SEAL Commander Makes a Powerful Plea for Shared Humanity
Jocko Willink, the retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer who commanded one of the deadliest special operations units in Iraq, took to his popular YouTube channel Friday to share “a glimpse of hope’’ for a less divided America. In the video, Willink ...
Mattis Breaks Silence on Trump, Joins Chorus of National Leaders Defending Constitution
Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who served in President Donald Trump’s administration until he resigned in protest in December 2018, released a statement on Wednesday saying Trump is "the first president in my lifetime who does not try to ...
Some Police Are Taking a Knee With Protesters — Here’s Why
In 2016, former U.S. Army Green Beret Nate Boyer wrote an open letter to Colin Kaepernick about Kaepernick’s choice to remain seated during the national anthem. Kaepernick responded by asking Boyer, who served a brief stint as a Seattle Seahawks ...
Killer Mike, Son of Atlanta Police Officer, Pleas for Peace, Empathy, Justice
As his city boiled with frustration and anger over the killing of George Floyd, Atlanta rapper and activist Killer Mike stepped to the microphone at the mayor’s press conference Friday night in Atlanta, his voice cracking with a labored lilt. “I ...