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"If you are qualified, fate has a way of getting you to the right place at the right time – tho' sometimes it appears to be a long, long wait," professed Marine Col. Dave Shoup. Fate was certainly on Shoup's side at Tarawa Atoll, an…
In the Academy Award-nominated film "A War," a platoon leader named Claus Michael Pederson finds his unit under heavy fire in Afghanistan. He directs a close air support on a nearby building he believes is housing Taliban fighters, but it turns …
When you think "military beverage," three things typically come to mind: coffee, beer, and energy drinks. But did you know that around the turn of the century, grape juice was the drink of choice among troops? That's right. For roughly twenty yea…
Corson-Stoughton Gas, commonly known as "CS gas" or tear gas, has been a part of military culture since it was first mass produced in the 50s. Technically, it's less-than-lethal — death from inhaling CS gas is rare, but it still hurts like hell…
In 1999, U.S. military planners had to solve a tricky problem: How do you stop a ruthless dictator from breaking the rules without resorting to ruthless tactics yourself? Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was ignoring "no-fly zones" establ…
In 1991, the United States and its coalition allies scored a decisive victory over Iraq, pushing the invading army out of Kuwait after a 40-day air war and 100-hour ground assault. The coalition was almost universally recognized, only Jordan, Algeri…
In the first Democratic Primary debate of 2015, former Senator Jim Webb, a Marine who served in Vietnam, was asked about the enemies he made in his political career of whom he's most proud. Webb alluded to a Vietnamese solider who threw a grenade…
Requirements officers at the Pentagon and defense companies like to tout the "beyond visual range" capabilities of modern aircraft. On paper, these days a pilot could earn ace status and never see his or her opponents. However, air wars…
Everyone knows about John Glenn, either as an astronaut (the last survivor of the "Mercury Seven") or politician (he was a United States Senator from 1975 to 1999). Few know, however, that John Glenn had a lengthy combat career as a Mar…
Secretary of War Henry Knox was a hero of the American Revolution. Too bad he was a huge blue falcon.
In 2009, during some of the heaviest fighting of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Marine Corps was involved in a number of operations in western Iraq. However, things got tougher as Taliban lookouts were typically posted to provide a warning of the L…
Not all military jobs are created equal. Some are dangerous, some are highly technical, and most fall somewhere in between. Here are the 6 brainiest enlisted military jobs (in terms of
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Lewis "Chesty" Puller is probably known best for his legendary actions in World War II where he led Marines at Guadalcanal and in Korea when he and his men broke out from the Chosin Reservoir. But Puller originally…
Coast Guard Signalman Ray Evans was a legend in World War II who drew machine gun fire from Japanese soldiers while pulling Chesty Puller's Marines out of a hairy situation on Guadalcanal in 1942. The Navy awarded him a Navy Cross, but Vice Adm. Jo…
It should have been called "MiG Graveyard."
