The Latest
6 things to know about the Sentinels guarding Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknowns
Sentinels have stood guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier since 1937.
How John Brown’s raid on the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry made the Civil War inevitable
John Brown died by hanging in December 1859. Sixteen months later, war broke out at Fort Sumter.
Operation Eagle Claw: The story behind the failed hostage rescue in Iran
The disaster at Desert One led to a rethinking of American special ops.
How the Marine Corps’ oldest division survived at Chosin Reservoir
Marines at the Chosin Reservoir ran the risk of freezing to death. They had no choice but to fight their way out.
The anonymous plot to oust George Washington as commander-in-chief
Replacing Washington with Horatio Gates would have been a disaster.
This plane survived Pearl Harbor and struck back at Midway
Whoever made the Douglas SBD Dauntless knew what they were doing.
How a sailor remembered 256 prisoners of war through song
Vietnamese guards underestimated Douglas Hegdahl at their own peril.
How a soldier’s homemade US flag made it from a WWII POW camp to the Smithsonian
Cpl. Joseph “Jose” Quintero further displayed his patriotism, one stitch at a time.
The shortest soldier in American history was a Green Beret who fought in Vietnam
Richard Flaherty received the Silver Star in 1968.
The highest ranking US military officer in World War II isn’t who you think
“Salty” doesn’t even begin to describe William Leahy.
Remembering 250 years of Marine Corps Commandants
The 39 Marine Corps Commandants have shaped the service branch into what it is today.
This WWII aviation program was more expensive than the Manhattan Project
The U.S. military spared no expense in building the B-29 Superfortress.
The first Medals of Honor received for a foreign conflict happened in Korea
The Americans wanted to sell goods. The Koreans wanted none of it.
That time MacArthur promised to capture a hill or die on it
The legendary general backed up his words during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
Patton’s famous speech was way more vulgar than the one in the movie
Read his entire, real speech.
This Marine survived the Bataan Death March, a ship sinking, and an atomic bomb
Marine Cpl. Kenneth Rice survived incomprehensible cruelty during World War II.
How the Seven Days Battles lengthened the Civil War by 2 years
If the Union had captured Richmond in 1862, the Civil War would have ended much sooner.
Baron von Steuben and the birth of US Army discipline
Without von Steuben, there might be no America.
Benedict Arnold and the most famous betrayal in American history
In the beginning, Benedict Arnold was loyal to the revolutionaries’ cause. What changed?
7 interesting facts about US presidents and their military service
Thirty-one presidents have served in the U.S. military.
Revolutionary War uniforms and the birth of an American army
Continental Blue contrasted with British Red in more ways than one.
President Lincoln personally led a recon mission during the Civil War
He took direct control of the Army and Navy to capture Norfolk.
Marquis de Lafayette: Washington’s indispensable French commander
America might not be celebrating its 250th birthday without the Marquis de Lafayette.
The original US Navy was an armada of American rebels and privateers
Defeating the British at sea proved crucial to the fight for independence.
How Henry Knox became the artillery genius of the Revolutionary War
Before Knox became America’s first secretary of war, he was the British’s worst nightmare.
The Revolutionary War battle that forced Americans to choose sides
The South showed the Colonists they had to fight or submit.
Nathanael Greene: The Revolutionary War’s most underrated leader
Washington’s strategic mastermind was shaped by humble origins.
How a plain-language pamphlet created America’s revolutionary mindset
Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ gave the Colonists a common cause.
Daniel Morgan’s Revolutionary War riflemen were America’s original scout snipers
Long-range accuracy changed the course of the Revolutionary War.