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So, it turns out there's a reason your local medic wants to look at your body parts and fill you with pills, and it's not because they're a pervert — I mean, they probably are, but that's not why they're doing it. See, your ancestors…
The military is known for its clever vocabulary. If you cut out the obscenity, you're left with a collection of terms that are either more accurate (i.e. it's not exactly a 'shovel,' it's an "entrenching tool") or overly sarcastic (i.e. it's…
During the Cold War, an Army Special Forces unit was tasked with sabotaging Soviet infrastructure and crippling an invasion force to buy NATO time should war break out. The mission was so secret that the entire thing was almost forgotten — until a…
May Day was a big deal in East Germany. As a matter of fact, it was a big deal in all of the Communist Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War era. It was, after all, a day for celebrating workers around the world. Since Communist countries wer…
Military working animals are just as much troops in the formation as their bipedal handlers. They go through rigorous training, like the Joes. They get weeded out through selection, like the Joes. And they even hold rank, like the Joes. Military wor…
In 1980, Walter Banks Beacham enlisted in the United States Navy. He was excited for the signing bonus of $4,000, a cool $12,000 when adjusted for inflation in 2018. In 1984, Mark Richard Gerardi joined the U.S. Army Reserve. In 1986, Cedrick L. Hou…
With millions of boats and ships plying the waves, it's easy to forget that mankind isn't made to survive in the ocean — and the dangers inherent to the sea are compounded when you're trapped a few decks below the waterline in a huge iron bubbl…
There is no greater historical example of an unstoppable force hitting an immovable object than the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a mountainous, landlocked, harsh country that makes it very difficult for a great power…
John Wayne never was able to join the military — when the draft first started in 1939, the then-unknown actor had a…
The hero has been the most popular archetype of human-storytelling for as long as stories have been told. From the Epic of Gilgamesh to the Odyssey to comic books to the epic film franchises that bring in billions of dolla…
In 1563 and 1564, Sweden built a massive warship that was the pinnacle of naval technology at the time. Its creation ushered in a sea change in naval combat — despite the fact that the ship sank early in its first battle.
The Military Assistance Command — Studies and Observations Group, now better known as SOG, was one of those true dark-arts units that hid danger…
Ever since the announcement of the Space Force left us with so few details about what the service would look like, how it would be comprised, and even what its mission would be, we've been left to wonder about all those little details. Military per…
Earth has been invading Mars in fiction since people with telescopes could see the canals on the red planet. Mars is a place where
There was a reason that the Nazis thought the original D-Day invasions were a feint: Aside from the misdirection operations conducted by the Allies, the geography of the beaches made it seemingly impossible to fully supply a large invasion force.
The announcement of the Space Force has plenty of us waiting for the day that the first recruitment office opens up. After all, who wouldn't want to go into space? Sure, the Space Force isn't going to be doing a bunch of sci-fi bad…
Many troops take for granted the degree to which our military is funded today. There's been a defense budget in place since the very early days of our country. …
Rare Limited's Goldeneye 007 was released for the Nintendo 64 on August 25, 1997. Despite being 21 years old, this game still sits near the top of many, many older gamers' top ten video games lists. It was glitchy, had s…
The house of the Commandant of the Marine Corps is one of the oldest continuously-occupied buildings in the capital of the United States. Steeped in American history, the house was spared the torch when the British captured and burned Washington, D.…
Congratulations! You've either finally been pinned or you've been laterally transferred to a position where you're placed over someone else. You've either worked your ass off to finally accrue the dreaded 798 promotion points... or you've been …