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An Israeli pilot only known as "Lt. H" was flying at a low level near 350 knots in an A-4 Skyhawk one day. He was flying over the desert near the Dead Sea in September 1985. He was flying straight and level when the next thing he knows he is layin…
Throughout history, communications troops have had one job: to make sure those on front lines are able to talk to headquarters. Today's troops that operate satellite communications and line-of-sight radio waves through mostly barren terrain may not…
Captain Sam Axelrad was a U.S. Army doctor in the Vietnam War. One day in 1966, a North Vietnamese soldier, Nguyen Quang Hung, was brought to Axelrad to amputate an arm because gangrene had started to spread in his wound. "When I amputat…
Doug Bradley and Craig Werner literally wrote the book on the music of the Vietnam War. Really. In "We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam W…
At the height of the Vietnam War, up-and-coming commo guys who wanted to learn the art of radio operation would walk into a classroom and see a huge number five written on the chalkboard.Inevitably, someone's curiosity would win out and they…
Before the American military draft was overturned in 1973, nearly
Mental torture, starvation, and daily physical beatings were just a few of the dreadful aspects American prisoners had to endure on a daily basis during their stay at the "Hanoi Hilton." Although prisoner leadership secretly spoke of es…
Mighty Stories is a weekly WATM feature highlighting the stories of veterans, active duty and military families. This week's feature is Art Jetter, Vietnam Veteran. "I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. I was the oldest of six bo…
In the annals of military history, the Korean War is unique in the sheer numbers of human wave attacks that defenders were forced to confront. Like the Japanese in WWII, the Chinese and North Korean forces were keen on assaulting defensive positions…
Many military historians argue that the Maschinengewehr 42 – better known as the MG 42 – was the best general-purpose machine gun ever made. It fired up to 1,800 rounds per minute in some versions. That's nearly twice as fast as any a…
Did friendly fire really kill Confederate Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, or is this just a myth of the Civil War? We all know the story (or should). On May 2, 1863, Jackson was conducting a reconnaissance mis…
'13 Hours' tells the minute-by-minute story of the men who lived through the Benghazi attacks by focusing on what happened on the ground, not the politics. When everything went wrong, they had the courage to do what they had to do. This…
The United States Marine Corps has bravely served our country since 1775, and The Marines' Hymn reflects that legacy. Here are five things you…
In 1998 the epic film "Saving Private Ryan" captured the courage, sacrifice, and horror of World War II in a way that Hollywood had either missed or avoided with previous efforts. The story of a Ranger squad's mission to find a soldier…
One of the most secretive units in the whole of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Shayetet 13 is the naval component of Israel's special operations forces. Like the U.S. Navy SEALs, Shayetet 13 (or S13 for sh…
The wristwatch wasn't created by the military but it certainly brought it into the mainstream.That's what an interesti…
It's no secret that troops and alcohol go together like a fine whiskey does with a couple of ice cubes. That's why it's not uncommon to hear troops talk about drinking heavily on a work night, even when they know they're about to PT their asses …
Army Pfc. Craig H. Middleton was the Mk. 19 gunner on his convoy when it came under an insurgent ambush in Afghanistan. But despite his grievous wounds, Middleton was able to beat back the ambush and help save the lives of two wounded airmen — an …
