2018 All Rights Reserved
Here are the 13 funniest memes for the week of September 14th
In a move that almost seems suspiciously logical, Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, has declared safety briefs no longer mandatory. That means no more long, drawn-out discussions led by the first sergeant about oddly specific incidents. No more sh*tbag "leaders" talking down to warfighters about crimes that they themselves committed. No more checking the box by reminding troops to not drink and drive, beat your spouse, or beat your kids in a monotone, apathetic voice that diminishes the gravity of those serious crimes.
Soldiers are about to get told that this weekend to "be safe" and then to fall out. Some units may try out this thing called, "assuming adults are responsible for their own actions" while others will be stuck in their old ways, discussing a few safety issues out of sheer habit.
For the love of all that is awesome in the Army - do not f*ck this up, troops. If even a single private gets a speeding ticket this weekend, the chain of command will put that incident on a pedestal in order to keep safety briefs. If a single douchebag gets arrested for a DUI and jokes that they weren't told not to this week, that one asshat will Blue Falcon the entire United States Army.
So, enjoy some memes if it means you're not out trying to appear on the blotter.
Air Force veteran's honest reaction to 'Captain Marvel' trailer
The first official Captain Marvel trailer finally dropped, teasing one of Marvel's most anticipated new films — and its new hero, whom the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, has touted as Marvel's most powerful yet. Needless to say, it's an exciting time for nerds.
Warning: Potential Captain Marvel and Avengers 3 and 4 spoilers ahead.
Iran banned this most American of hairstyles
Forget business in the front, party in the rear. Iran is all business. There's no party around back. At least, not for the most American of all possible hairstyles: the mullet. The mullet is so American, in fact, that it's banned in Iran for precisely that reason. Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance said goodbye to the haircut for being "un-Islamic."
The haircut was on a list of "decadent Western haircuts" that were banned, alongside ponytails, spiked hairstyles, and long hair in general in 2010.
How fighter jets can 'headbutt' enemy planes
When U.S. pilots want to get the attention of a hostile or unresponsive plane, they have a few options. One of them is called the "headbutt," which sounds metal and dangerous, but is actually an umbrella term for a few techniques — all of which are designed to get another pilot's attention without taking violent action against them.
When fighter jets are scrambled to intercept enemy or unidentified planes, they have a range of options, from immediate lethal fires to trying to contact the rogue plane via radio, depending on the situation. One of the options is to use their plane to conduct the "headbutt" of the other plane.
The maneuver is sweet, but not nearly as metal as it sounds.
These are the only combat jumps US troops have made since 9/11
It was once the most heroic thing a soldier could do. They'd strap themselves up with the barest of combat essentials and jump out of the back of a perfectly good aircraft into uncertain danger — often ending up miles away from their intended drop zone and, sometimes, completely on their own.
Combat jumps led the Allied Forces to victory in WWII. These same tactics were employed during the Korean War and Vietnam War and, eventually, were used by Rangers and Green Berets in Grenada and Panama. When it came time for the Global War on Terrorism, well, let's just say there are only a handful of combat jumps that come without asterisks attached.
5 of the most spine-chilling military superstitions
Humans are superstitious. We tend to come up with all kinds of ways to justify certain things we don't fully understand. That same quality definitely has a home in military service. While some of these may seem ridiculous at first glance, there's usually some kind of explanation underneath.
The Navy is easily the most superstitious of the branches — since their origins are tied to a history of life at sea, both military-related and otherwise, where imaginations ran wild after spending many months adrift. But, as a whole, the military has a wide array of superstitions that, when you take a closer look, are actually pretty creepy.
The Corps wants to make 12 Marines more lethal than 13
The Commandant of the Marine Corps plans to reduce the configuration of Marine Rifle Squads from 13 down to 12 by increasing firepower and adding drone technology.
When are 12 Marines more lethal than 13? That math is the equation informing the recently reconfigured Marine Rifle Squad.
Said to arrive in FY 2020, the new formation will be smaller, shrinking from 13 positions to 12. Yet these newly-configured squads will add a suite of new technology, including tablets and drones, and a significant increase in firepower, including a fully automatic rifle for each of the 12 squad members — up from the three automatic rifles assigned per squad currently. The result? Increased firepower, because now all 12 Marines in the Rifle Squad will be equipped with automatic weapons.
That time Mormons accidentally went to war with the US Army
The Army had its ups and downs in the Plains Wars of the mid-1800s. There's no denying that. Say what you will about their performance, they never sought to destroy American settlements. But, due to a bizarre misunderstanding, the Mormons of the Utah Territory thought the U.S. Army was on the way to wipe out their burgeoning religion.
Russia backs off Syria threats after Marine show of force
The Russians appear to have backed off their earlier threats after the US Marine Corps sent them a clear message.
The Pentagon, US Central Command, and Operation Inherent Resolve have all confirmed that Russia has stayed out of the deconfliction zone and is no longer insisting on conducting operations or launching precision strikes in the area near the At Tanf garrison, where US Marines are based.
Russia warned the US twice on Sept. 1, 2018, and again on Sept. 6, 2018, that the Russian military, together with Syrian and pro-regime forces, planned to carry out counterterrorism operations inside the 55-kilometer deconfliction zone. It accused the US and its coalition partners of harboring terrorists.
