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Hollywood has the ability to spark every veteran's imagination and when the big screen explores what future militaries may become, it's enough to make even the most content retiree dream of taking the oath all over again. Let's explore…
Military service isn't for everyone. Many potential recruits are passionate about enlisting but can't due to some limitation while others who would make perfect applicants have no interest. The Pentagon doesn't sweat the loss of young adults who …
Do you pay attention to the PowerPoint presentation at any given meeting? Have you ever taken away anything useful? Does it even matter what it's about or what the presenter is saying? 90 percent of the time, the answer to all of these q…
Training to become an infantryman is one hell of a tough task. A young troop goes through months of intense training before earning their specific MOS and joining the grunts. Once you've entered your first unit, you'll become a member…
When the Stryker family of combat vehicles was developed and produced in the 1990s and 2000s, it was very diverse. There were many variants of the original M1128 made to fulfill a swath of roles, including command and control, medical evacuation, an…
In the early hours of Dec. 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, killing 2,403 service members and finalizing Presid…
The A-10 Thunderbolt is arguably the best close-air support plane in history thanks, primarily, to its GAU-8 cannon. The seven-barreled, 30mm Gatling gun holds 1,129 rounds and can chew up a modern tank. Despite its massive success in the air, the G…
Ever since Eugene Ely became the first person to take off from — and land on — a ship in 1911, naval aviation has forged a unique identity within the American military. They fly, but they're not the Air Force. They're sailors, but only some …
Lambos aren't exactly known for the rugged durability required by American military vehicles. So, the reason they specially made the Lamborghini Cheetah for the U.S. military would have to be pretty far out there. Well, not that far, act…
Okay, by now, you've probably heard that Russian President (seemingly for life) Vladimir Putin recently unveiled some new nuclear weapons. He made some big claims about them, but let's be honest, it's really just a lot of hype since these system…
By October 1942, American Marines and the Japanese were fighting a vicious battle around Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Marines held a perimeter around Lunga Point while the Japanese controlled the remainder of the island. The Marines gu…
In 1818, two of the Navy's most famous names, Oliver Hazard Perry and Stephen Decatur, were involved, one as a participant and the other as his second, in a duel that was the culmination of a two-…
Technically, aeromedical evacuation has been around since World War I, bringing our wounded back home by way of aircraft. Present day, AE is still a critical component to getting injured troops back to safety. AE crews, medics, and person…
In some ways, Sweden is a surprising place to find some of the most modern weapon systems. Yet, in other ways, it isn't such a surprise. Sweden managed to remain neutral in both World Wars and the Cold War, but they didn't do so by simply asking p…
How is it possible that two members of the same military service branch are so different? Like so many other behavioral traits, it all has to do with upbringing. Enlisted troops go straight from the recruiter's office and into active ser…
The M113 armored personnel carrier is one of the most versatile — and long-lasting — armored vehicles in the American inventory. The Army has just now, after 50 years of service, begun the process of replacing the M113 with the
We all have that officer we served with (or under) that we absolutely adore. We would follow them to the gates of hell or go there ourselves if they so ordered us. But, look: No one gives orders like Commander William T. Riker.
Army Private John R. McKinney was resting after a shift on guard duty in the Luzon area of the Philippines in May 1945 when his position was attacked by some 100 Japanese soldiers at a full run. McKinney, who was part of his unit's perimeter defens…
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning." That line from the classic war movie Apocalypse Now ranks as one of cinema's all-time bests. But just how, exactly, do you make napalm? How do you produce the flammable liquid that, as Lieuten…
On every map of the European Union, there's a gray blob right in the middle. That's Switzerland, a country synonymous with political neutrality. During both World Wars, they hid away in the mountaintops and watched from the