On Nov. 30, 1943, The New York Times reported one of America’s finest World War II submarine skippers, Lt. Cmdr. Dudley “Mush” Morton, was missing in action. The controversial “daredevil skipper” had engaged and sunk 19 enemy ships in just 10 months. ...
What Do Those Coins Left on Soldiers’ Graves Actually Mean?
The seemingly endless rows of white marble sprawling across Arlington’s rolling green hills are perfectly uniform. Each row is measured so precisely that not a single plot is askew. Unlike the crosses and Stars of David that fill the American ...
Why Today’s Commandos Trace Their Lineage Back to South Africa’s Boer Wars
While Americans may be familiar with modern commando units, such as the Army Special Forces and Navy SEALs, most likely they don’t realize the term "commando" actually originated in South Africa during the Boer Wars. The Boer Wars — the First ...
Don’t Feed the Lions: The Unbelievable Rescue at the Baghdad Zoo
Without any experience, budget, or evacuation plans, Brendan Whittington-Jones boarded a US Air Force C-130 in Kuwait City bound for Baghdad. It was May 12, 2003, just weeks after Iraq's capital city had fallen to American forces. Aside from a small ...
The Navy’s Elite TOPGUN Flight School Started in a Parking Lot Trailer
The best fighter pilot training course in the world, made famous by the 1986 movie Top Gun, was started inside a trailer docked in a California parking lot. No, seriously. Although officially named the US Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics ...
3 Billionaires You Didn’t Know Were Vietnam Combat Veterans
Transitioning from the US military can be a tremendous endeavor for many, but some veterans have found purpose through entrepreneurship in their post-service careers. Some veterans have become so successful in their business ventures that they’ve ...
Neil Gray and the Origins of Air Force Special Reconnaissance
Airborne operations in World War II called for specialists capable of determining the weather in austere and dangerous environments. In 1942, Cornelius “Neil” Gray joined the US Army Air Forces. He was selected for an unconventional program that ...
Army Resurrects Historic WWII Airborne Division To Dominate the Arctic
The US Army will raise a third airborne division, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville confirmed at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, May 5. The US Army Alaska Headquarters is ...
Combat Tea Party: Why Tea Kettles Are Installed in British Army Tanks
It’s no secret that life inside a tank is dangerous, cramped, and stressful. During combat operations, tank crews sometimes spend days at a time inside their vehicles, unable to stretch their legs or enjoy refreshments. Shortly after World War II, ...
Operation Black Buck: The Most Daring Bombing Mission Since World War II
In April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands without warning, sending the British military reeling for a response. The British Royal Air Force quickly dusted off its soon-to-be-retired long-range bombers and enacted a hasty plan ...
Medal of Honor Recipient and Vietnam Vet Kenneth Stumpf Dead at 77
Retired Army Sgt. Maj. Kenneth “Ken” Stumpf, a Medal of Honor recipient, died in Tomah, Wisconsin, on Saturday, April 23, 2022. He was 77. Stumpf, who hailed from Neenah, Wisconsin, was born on Sept. 28, 1944. He once had aspirations of becoming a ...
To the Shores of Tripoli: The Marines’ Daring Raid Against Barbary Pirates
On April 27, 1805, Marine Lt. Presley O’Bannon led a handful of Marines on a daring raid against a Libyan sea fortress held by Barbary pirates. The Marines were ultimately victorious, and when O’Bannon hoisted the 15 stars and 15 stripes of the ...
The Nameless Dead: A Brief History of Dog Tags in the US Military
During the Civil War, American service members worried how their bodies would be properly identified if they were killed in action: a fair concern, considering more than 40% of the Civil War dead remain unidentified. To ease their minds, some ...
How Combat Artist Howard Brodie Sketched His Way From War to the Courtroom
In February 1964, as Jack Ruby stood trial for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald — the man accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy — a legendary artist sat in the back of the Dallas courtroom, sketching away with his pencil. Howard Brodie — ...
‘The Pink Panthers’: Why the British SAS Used To Paint Their Camouflaged Land Rovers Pink
Members of the British Special Air Service are considered masters of long-range mobility. Their first operations in the deserts of North Africa during World War II prioritized a need for an off-road vehicle capable of covering hundreds of miles ...
27 Years Later: The Forgotten Role Urban Search & Rescue Played After the Oklahoma City Bombing
On the morning of April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols carried out the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil before 9/11. The so-called Oklahoma City bombing against the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building claimed the lives of 168 ...
The Last 2 Major Warships Sunk in Battle Were in the 1982 Falklands War
When the Russian missile cruiser Moskva sank on Thursday, April 14, hit by two anti-ship missiles, it was the largest warship lost at sea since World War II, and the first major surface combatant ship sunk since the Falklands War in 1982. During that ...
The Crag Rats: How a Band of Outdoor Hobbyists Transformed Mountain Rescue in the Pacific Northwest
In the summer of 1926, lumberman Andy Anderson held a landmark meeting at his home in Hood River, Oregon. In attendance were experienced climbers and ski mountaineers, many of whom had previously belonged to Company 12 of the Oregon National Guard ...
The ‘Mad Bomber’ Who Terrorized NYC Subways and Streets for 16 Years
A mysterious bomber terrorized New York City for 16 years, targeting subways, offices, homes, and sidewalks, leaving police baffled. But the New York City Police Department ultimately cracked the case using the then-groundbreaking investigative ...
Willie Johnston: The 11-Year-Old Civil War Drummer Boy Awarded the Medal of Honor
Historians estimate that about 20% of Civil War soldiers across the Union and Confederate armies were younger than 18. The youngest boys didn’t always receive muskets and ammunition, but they still held critical roles across American battlefields. ...
Why the ‘Commando’ Quad-Tube Rocket Launcher Replaced the Flamethrower
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1985 action classic Commando cemented the former Mr. Olympia as a bona fide action hero. The entire movie is full of glorious ’80s cheese, but it’s the infamous “mansion shootout” that lives rent-free in the minds of most Gen ...
Hang Loose: Why WWII Frogmen Used Surfboards for Commando Operations
In July 1944, a scrappy group of American and Italian frogmen were tasked with a daring nighttime raid behind enemy lines near the Italian city of Pesaro. It was a force of combat swimmers from the Office of Strategic Services Maritime Unit (MU) and ...
A Brief and Violent History of the Modern Flamethrower
Ever since the Byzantine Empire first employed incendiary weapons like Greek fire during the seventh century, modern armies have attempted to transform the ancient technology into an infantry weapon. The most prominent examples emerged between World ...
Winged Angels: How the 1st Woman Was Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in World War II
The legacy of Aleda Lutz is a story of firsts. Lutz, a first lieutenant, served as a flight nurse during World War II as part of the US Army Air Forces' early attempts to revolutionize battlefield air evacuations. As one of the first female flight ...
The Wild History of Navy SEAL Class Gifts
For decades, as Navy SEALs have graduated from the notoriously rigorous Navy SEAL selection and training, classes have kept a tradition of presenting a class gift to their instructors and staff at the school. Coffee or Die Magazine recently got an ...
The Legend of Dick Bong: World War II ‘Ace of Aces,’ Medal of Honor Recipient — and Crocodile Killer?
Maj. Richard “Dick” Bong boasts a combat record unmatched by any other American fighter pilots in World War II. The “Ace of Aces” shot down 40 confirmed enemy aircraft, earned the Medal of Honor as a gunnery instructor, and garnered such an ...
Operation Ghost Stories: How Anna Chapman and the Russian Illegals Almost Stole State Secrets
Anna Chapman arrived in Manhattan in 2009 and nestled into the city that never sleeps as a thriving up-and-comer in real estate. In her mid-20s, the petite, red-haired realtor made fast friends in politically connected circles, using her flirtatious ...
‘Clear the Way’: How the Irish Brigade Celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in the Civil War
For the Irish regiments of the Union Army, St. Patrick’s Day was more than just the green beer, shamrocks, and leprechaun mascots seen around cities and small towns of America today. It served as a much-needed rallying cry midway through the Civil ...
How a Sculptor Transformed Facial Reconstruction for World War I Veterans
As the bullets and shrapnel of World War I left thousands of soldiers with horrific facial disfigurement, one American sculptor better known for her bronze works set out for Europe to leverage her talents to support wounded veterans. World War I ...
Ernest Shackleton’s Ship, Endurance, Discovered Near Antarctica After Sinking a Century Ago
The Endurance, the ship made famous by Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was discovered at the bottom of the Weddell Sea Wednesday, March 9, some 106 years after being crushed in pack ice. The location of the vessel, missing since the ...