Kids in war movies have it pretty darn difficult, especially when their little fists of fury can’t inflict that much damage against their adult enemies.
What they lack in physical strength, they make up with small stature and stealth — that is, if they decide to.
So check out our list of kids who stood out in the crowd for their bravery.
1. Jamie Graham (Empire of the Sun)
Christian Bale plays a young British schoolboy living with family in Shangai, China, when he gets separated from his parents and now must fight to stay alive during the Japanese occupation in World War II.
(Source: WB/Screenshot)
2. Sacha Filipov (Enemy at the Gates)
Played by Gabriel Thomson, this young Russian character feeds bad information to a German sharpshooter to aid in the victory of his hero, legendary sniper Vassili Zaitsev.
(Source: Paramount/Screenshot)
3. O.D. / Chicken Boy (Schindler’s List)
Played by Adam Siemion, this intelligent and quick-thinking child managed to help Jews get into the “good lines,” lied to German soldiers about clearing a building and saved about a dozen others by blaming a newly murdered Jew for killing a Nazi-owned chicken.
Played by Oliwia Dabrowska, this young girl donned the famous red coat and courageously walked her way through the dangerous streets of a Polish ghetto as Nazi soldiers raided and tossed the area. She made it completely unnoticed to safety.
(Source: Universal/Screenshot)
5. Leon (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas)
Played by Zac Mattoon O’Brien, this brave youngster lives in a concentration camp but sneaks out regularly for small periods of peace. Leon ends up befriending a young German boy who just happens to be the son of camp’s commandant but never uses that against his newly made friend.
After you sink money into travel, tickets, and blue milk at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge you might not have much cash left over for a customized lightsaber or droid. Thankfully, there’s one souvenir you can take home that won’t cost you a dime: an only-available-at-Galaxy’s Edge drink coaster.
The coasters are available at Oga’s Cantina. As you can see in the images below, shared by some of the lucky few who’ve experienced the park pre-opening day, there are several different designs to choose from, with Star Wars icons like Ewoks and Banthas. Designs featuring a Rancor and the T-16 Skyhopper are also available.
There’s already a fairly vibrant market on eBay for the coasters, along with the souvenir mugs you can also pick up at the bar. There’s the Endor mug that holds the Yub Nub, a concoction of pineapple and spiced rums, citrus juices, and passion fruit, and the Cliff Dweller, a kid-friendly blend of citrus juices, coconut, hibiscus-grenadine, and Ginger Ale.
Parents who don’t want the upcharge of a souvenir mug can sip on cocktails like the Jedi Mind Trick, the Dagobah Slug Slinger, and Fuzzy Tauntaun. There are also beers brewed especially for the bar with names like White Wampa Ale, Gamorrean Ale, and Bad Motivator IPA.
And if you don’t feel like getting tipsy at a theme park, opt for a sugar rush from non-alcoholic beverages like the Hyperdrive (Punch It!), a mixture of Mountain Berry Blast Powerade, white cranberry juice, black cherry puree, and Sprite. (Your kids will probably like those too.)T
his article originally appeared on Fatherly. Follow @FatherlyHQ on Twitter.
There has been a major split between lead singer Geoff Tate and the rest of the band in recent months, but a few years ago, legendary metal band Queensryche was tightly focused on “American Soldier,” the band’s take on the modern experience of war.
Here’s the first video they produced for the album:
All military working dog (MWD) handlers — no matter what branch of service they are in, go through the same basic handlers course and advanced dog training schools. As a result, all handlers in the military use key terms and phrases that every handler will understand. Here are the most common terms and what they mean.
All handlers will learn how to decoy — aka pretend to be the bad guy — and it’s important they know how to “agitate” properly to provoke the dog to bite them. To do this they need to make noises and watching them scream and grunt for the first time can be hilarious. To make it simple, instructors tell beginning handlers to yell “HOT SAUCE!” very quickly over and over to provoke the dog.
Photo: Lance Cpl. Drew Tech/USMC
Inverted V (Lackland shuffle)
To conduct a proper detection search, all handlers are taught the “inverted V” method in which the dog detects low, then high, then low again. To do this, handlers must learn to walk backward and beginners move their feet so slow it’s known as the “Lackland shuffle” in reference to the basic handler’s course at Lackland Air Force Base.
Photo: US Navy
Kong Dispenser
The toy used as a universal reward for all military working dogs is the kong. Handlers reward their dogs so much that they call themselves nothing but a kong dispenser.
Photo: Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz/USAF
Short Safety
MWD’s are incredibly strong and athletic and so when the situation calls for a handler to maintain tight control of their dog, they will apply a “short safety.” All handlers use a 6-foot leash and, with the dog on their left, they will hold the end of the leash in their right hand while using their left hand to grab the leash halfway down and wrap it once around their hand to ensure the dog stays close.
Typewriters
When an MWD is released to bite, handlers want them to get a full mouth bite, clench tight, and hold on until the handler gets there so the suspect can’t get away. However, dogs that are not fully confident will not clench and hold and instead will bite, then release, and then bite a different area. MWDs that do this are known as typewriters.
Photo: Airman 1st Class Rusty Frank/USAF
Housed
This is when a military working dog runs and hits a decoy so hard that the decoy ends up dazed and confused on the ground, and handlers watching are more than likely laughing their butts off.
Landsharks
This refers to MWD’s whose speed, strength, and bite are a cut above the rest.
Photo: Lance Cpl. Aaron Diamant/USMC
Push Button’s
These are MWD’s who are so well trained overall, especially in obedience, that they will rarely need a correction, if any.
Photo: Wikipedia
Change of behavior
When an MWD is trained to detect specific odors it will show a “change of behavior” when it encounters it. Handlers must get to know their dog’s change of behavior so they know their MWD is about to find something.
Reverse. (Not at source. Pinpoint.)
No handler wants to hear “reverse.” When doing detection with their MWD, if a handler hears “reverse” from the instructor, they know they missed the training aid and now must do the embarrassing action of backtracking. Sometimes, a “not at source” or “pinpoint” is added when the instructor notices the dog is on the odor but hasn’t found the training aid yet.
Painters
Most MWD’s that defecate in their kennels will simply wait for their handler to clean it up. Unfortunately, some MWD’s like to play with it and spread it every where they can. By the time the handler comes to clean it, the MWD has “painted” the kennel with feces.
Drop the purse
Most novice handlers unknowingly hold the leash up high while their dog is detecting making it look as though they are holding a purse. It is unnatural, there’s no reason for it, and typically it’s a sign of the handler not being relaxed. Instructors will tell them to “drop the purse” so they lower the leash and assume a more relaxed hold of it.
Photo: Seaman Abigail Rader/US Navy
LOOSE DOG!
Military working dogs are the world’s most-highly trained dogs and must be controlled or in a controlled environment at all times for everyone’s safety. When an MWD has escaped a controlled environment, handlers will yell “LOOSE DOG!” to alert everyone in the area.
Photo: Airman 1st Class Aaron Montoya/USAF
Catch my dog
When a handler asks another handler to decoy for their MWD.
Photo: Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark El-Rayes/US Navy
Want peanut butter with that jam?!
MWD’s build up a lot of momentum when they run after the decoy. At the moment of impact it’s important the decoy is not so stiff to allow the dog’s momentum carry through. If the decoy is too stiff, they can jam the dog which can potentially hurt them. The typical response from a handler whose dog was jammed is to ask the decoy if they want peanut butter.
Emotions run up and down leash
Dog teams form a bond so strong that a handler’s attitude will affect the dog’s attitude and vice versa. To keep the dog motivated, it’s important the handler stay motivated.
Photo: Sergeant Rex
Trust your dog
This is ingrained in every handler’s head. Dogs who become certified as military working dogs have gone through an extensive selection and training process. They have proven themselves to be the best at what they do. Yet, with the bond a dog team creates and all the training they have gone through, handlers will, at times, doubt their dogs abilities. It’s important to always remember to trust your dog because if there’s anyone who is wrong, it’s the handler because the dog is always right.
Daenerys Targaryen FINALLY landed on Westeros in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” She’s even started using the dragons and Dothraki on Westerosi armies! Even though she hasn’t (yet) moved on King’s Landing, there’s a lot of reason to believe it’s just a matter of time before the “game” is over.
The face you make when you have the only Air Force.
This gives us a chance to stop and reflect on all the battles and strategies in the game that led us here. Even better, it gives us a chance to laugh at the worst leaders in the place and question why the hell they thought they could hang in the first place. At least Tommen knew he just wasn’t cut out for it.
Tommen performs an actual king’s landing.
7. Theon Greyjoy
Theon’s big victory wasn’t even really a fight. He told the Stark Army there was an attack somewhere else, and when they left he forced Bran to concede Winterfell to him. Then, right before the Iron Born immediately turned on him, he killed some farmer’s family and torched their two kids. Cool.
You know who the real loser was in the sack of Winterfell?
Yes, an argument could be made for Ser Rodrick.
Rickon Stark. Rickon is the real loser in all this. By the time the Starks retake Winterfell, Bran can see through time, Arya has face-melting assassin skills, Jon Snow is hanging with the Mother of Dragons, and Sansa runs the place. What did Rickon get?
Oh riiiiiiiiiight…
Theon sucks. He knew it, his men knew it, the Boltons knew it. And he’s at number seven on this list because we knew it too.
6. Ramsay Bolton
Sure, he seized the North (after it was decimated by the Iron Born, but whatever). We’ll give that to him. But the thing about the way a ruler like Ramsay Bolton operates is that there has to be an element of fear to fighting for him. That also means that there has to be a good chance you’ll survive. If you know you’re going to die no matter what, it makes it difficult to fight for survival.
Also, when his gimmick is a bunch a flayed dudes, you have to wonder who’s getting flayed next.
In the Battle of the Bastards, Ramsay so casually mows down his own troops with arrows to the point that they’re indistinguishable from the enemy in the pile of bodies. See if you can spot the point when a bunch more guys from the Bolton Army would have really come in useful during the Battle of the Bastards:
Look closely.
Where was the shirtless Ramsay Bolton who fought the Iron Born at the Dread Fort?
5. Joffrey Baratheon
If only Stannis Baratheon had attacked King’s Landing with a bunch of prostitutes, then Joffrey would know how to kill the enemy. Donning the King’s Armor in the one time he had a chance to be a real leader, he bravely left the battlefield to go see what his mom wanted.
And don’t forget, Arya was embarrassing Joffrey before it was cool…and before she even had face-wrecking assassin powers.
4. Balon Greyjoy
Remember Balon? No? Funny how the worst among us are completely forgotten as soon as someone with skills and ability comes along.
(Stares in Iron Born)
The thing about Balon that’s different from most of the people on this list is that the other people had a reputation for valor, daring, and strategic thinking before the events depicted on the show. Not Balon. Before the events of the show, Balon led a rebellion from the Iron Islands and was quickly owned by Ned Stark. His biggest win was having Theon taken hostage.
We all know how that turned out.
Everyone spends the first season making fun of Balon in front of Theon. Only Yara gave a damn when Euron threw the old man over a bridge. In fact, the whole Game of Thrones series got exponentially better as soon as someone killed Balon.
The world actually cheered as Balon was helped off the show. Probably.
3. The Night King
The Night King has existed since the age of the Children of the Forest. He has practically unlimited manpower that only grows the more he fights. And it’s next to impossible to stop his army in close quarters combat…unless you can figure out the three things that can actually hurt them. And the Night King is giving the living SO MUCH TIME TO FIGURE IT OUT.
¯/_(‘ ‘)_/¯
Seriously, what is he doing beyond the wall? Every time we see him, he and his army of White Walkers look like they’re just walking around endlessly. Don’t they know they’re supposed to attack in the winter? I know it’s supposed to be the longest winter ever but that doesn’t mean he has to wait until the last minute to attack.
One step at a time? Oh jeez this is going to take FOREVER.
If he just started attacking now, he could swarm The Wall before Jon Snow can mine the Dragon Glass. Or before Dany can beat Cersei and focus the dragons on the North. But no, he’s going to walk around the land beyond The Wall because it’s apparently much more fun than winning. People who are older than history love to take walks.
2. Jaime Lannister
For all the stories you hear about Ser Jaime’s fighting ability, all he ever seems to do is get captured or almost die. When he does win, it’s not because he’s actually fighting. He makes the disappointment list because you feel like he should be better at fighting. And yet we have come to love him anyway.
But you could choose someone who isn’t your sister.
Jaime didn’t kill Tyrion even though he believed Tyrion killed his son. Jaime failed to kill a small child by throwing him out a window. Even in combat, we’ve seen more success from Samwell Tarly. Tyrion managed to get a few kills in at the Blackwater — the most Jaime ever did was kill his cousin and lose a hand for his trouble.
Yeah, nice.
It’s mind-boggling why Tyrion is the most disappointing Lannister (to the Lannisters, I mean). Jaime is the biggest liability in Westeros and all Tyrion has to do is tell an Army, “Let’s go kill those dudes attacking our city,” and he wins the day.
“But what about Riverrun?” you might ask. Early on, we hear about Jaime taking Riverrun from the Riverlords but by season six, he has to go retake it from the Blackfish. Taking a castle doesn’t do you any good if you can’t keep it. Ask Theon Greyjoy about that.
You’ll have to catch him first.
For the ultimate in Jaime Lannister’s bad decision-making skills, see the last five minutes of the seventh season episode “The Spoils of War” and remember Jaime’s quote: “We can hold them off.” Hey bud, everyone knows she’s got fire-breathing dragons and a barbaric horde of Dothraki horse archers.
Not only did Jaime do nothing for his troops, he didn’t even get the anti-dragon gun ready to fight. That thing stayed in the wagon waaaaaaaaaay too long.
1. Stannis Baratheon
For what all the bookreaders have to say about Stannis Baratheon, we sure expected some magic from this guy. The only magical thing about Stannis came out of Melisandre.
Run, Jon Snow. This will not end well.
At the Battle of the Blackwater, Stannis drove his Navy into the bay, which would seem like the best idea. But a little bit of intel work and he would have known the Lannisters poured a ton of electric green stuff into the bay in anticipation of the battle, which everyone knew was coming. Then, Stannis did exactly what everyone expected him to do – a frontal assault. No wonder the Lannisters knew exactly how to wipe the floor with his gate crashers.
If Baratheon leadership could be summed up in one clip, this would be it.
Also, underestimating the wealthiest family on the continent was a terrible call. They control Casterly Rock and King’s Landing. Why did Stannis never consider the possibility of a relief force from Casterly Rock? Tywin Lannister was known for his ability as a soldier and general and the Lannisters were allied with the Tyrells. Stannis, whose moves surprise no one, never considers outside forces. Like…did he forget he was in The War of Five Kings?
Stannis has never been good at showing emotion. Or leadership ability. Or fatherhood. Or anything, really.
To top that, the real heir to Robert Baratheon led a depleted army against Winterfell. A real commander would work to prepare the army, maybe get some more allies at the last minute, work on a secret plan or weapon to even the odds of assaulting a fortified position. Not Stannis. His ace in the hole was to roast his daughter alive.
Summer’s officially here, the BBQ is hot, the beer is cold, and it’s time to party. Old Glory is still soaring from when we honored Memorial Day, but now we have a holiday where the only requirement is to celebrate.
Not only was Houston’s voice absolute perfection, when she recorded this song, she donated the proceeds of the single to benefit the veterans of the Persian Gulf War. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, she re-released it, this time donating her profits to the firefighters and victims of the attacks.
For those of you who are out there continuing to fight for the freedoms we cherish, you have our gratitude. Stay safe.
Check out the full list here, and Happy 4th of July, you freedom lover, you.
War prisoners are expected to just survive day-to-day. But some prisoners say screw that and find ways to make the prison easier for their peers and more frustrating for their enemies.
1. A Navy officer saves his camp from both Japanese and U.S. attacks.
Photo: US Navy
The Japanese in World War II considered surrender dishonorable and expected Americans to fight to the death. So, when they started taking American prisoners, they were exceptionally cruel. Cmdr. Richard Antrim was in a prison camp when a guard began savagely beating a prisoner. Antrim tried to convince the guards to discuss the man’s case, but they couldn’t understand one another.
The camp commander ordered 50 lashes for the offending prisoner. When the prisoner collapsed only partway into the lashing, Antrim asked that he be allowed to take the rest of the punishment. The camp commander ceased the punishment instead and gained respect for the naval officer.
He allowed Antrim to begin overseeing prisoner work details. Antrim used this new trust to redraw the pans for trenches for the prisoners, creating the letters “US” in the sand so that Allied bombers would know to avoid those trenches during bomber raids. Antrim was awarded the Medal of Honor for risking his life for his fellow prisoner and a Bronze Star for redrawing the trenches.
2. Special Forces officer beats up his executioners and escapes with the help of his beard.
Photo: US Army
Then-1st Lt. James N. Rowe was the military advisor to a group of South Vietnamese civilian irregulars who stumbled into an ambush in 1963. Rowe was captured in the fighting and spent the next five years in captivity.
He attempted escape three times, but was recaptured each time. The North Vietnamese decided to execute him, and took him into the jungle on New Year’s Eve in 1968. Luckily, an American helicopter came by at that moment and Rowe beat up his guards. He flagged down the helicopter whose pilot initially thought he was an enemy fighter until he saw Rowe’s beard and decided it looked American.
3. Senior officer in “Hanoi Hilton” beats himself with a stool and cuts his scalp and wrists to resist North Vietnamese propaganda attempts.
Photo: US Navy
Vice Adm. James Stockdale was leading his carrier group back to the USS Oriskany after a bombing run over North Vietnam. He was downed by anti-aircraft fire, broke his back and dislocated his knee, and was sent to the infamous prison camp known as the “Hanoi Hilton.” There, as the senior officer he took over efforts to build morale and resist Vietnam efforts to create propaganda.
When the Vietnamese attempted to use him in a parade for foreign journalists, Stockdale slashed his own scalp and beat himself with a stool, bruising himself so severely that he was useless for propaganda purposes. Later, he learned that another prisoner had been tortured to death and slashed his own wrists to convince his captors that Americans would rather die than give up information. The captors then ceased their torture. For his efforts, Stockdale was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1976, three years after his release.
4. Double amputee begins his escape attempts while his second prosthetic leg was still damaged.
Photo: Royal Air Force photographer Devon S A
Douglas Bader had to fight his way into the cockpit in 1939 since he left the Royal Air Force in 1931 after a crash that took both of his legs. He spent the first 18 months of the war commanding formations of RAF fighters before he was downed and captured. One prosthetic was damaged in the incident, but Bader still attempted to escape the prison on the damaged leg. After the Nazis — who saw Bader as a celebrity — allowed him a replacement leg air dropped by the British, he made a few more attempts and was sent to the “inescapable” Colditz Castle.
Bader didn’t spend all of his time in prison attempting to escape. He would also regularly bait the guards until they aimed their pistols at him, just to hurt their morale. He once refused to go to roll call saying, “My feet would get cold in the snow.”
5. French general escapes an inescapable prison to celebrate Hitler’s birthday.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Records of the Office of War Information
French Gen. Henri Giraud was experienced at escaping German prison camps, having slipped out of one in North Africa during World War I. When he was captured in World War II, he faced more challenging conditions at Konigstein Castle, which sits 240 meters above the surrounding valley and had thick stone walls.
Giraud spent two years planning and preparing for his escape. He convinced the guards to teach the prisoners German, smuggled in the clothing worn by the local populace, and spent a year creating a 150-foot rope from thin twine. He slipped down the rope, out of the prison, and onto a train on April 17th, 1942, over Hitler’s birthday weekend. Hitler ordered him assassinated, but he escaped to North Africa and rejoined the war.
6. Holocaust survivor escaped his Korean War prison camp every night to forage for food for fellow prisoners.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Hungarian-American Tibor Rubin was a Korean War hero before he was captured, once holding a hilltop for 24 hours on his own against determined Chinese attacks. When he was captured in a later engagement, the Chinese offered to send him home to Hungary instead of keeping him prisoner. Rubin had been saved from a concentration camp when he was a child by American troops, and decided to stay in the prison.
He began sneaking out of the camp every night and back in every morning, stealing food and medical supplies from Chinese soldiers and local farms. His actions were credited with saving the lives of 40 other prisoners and he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
7. Czechoslovakian draftee escapes prison hundreds of times to visit his girlfriend.
A thin but defiant Horace Greasley stares down Heinrich Himmler during a prison inspection. Photo: Wiki Commons
Horace Greasley was a British soldier taken prisoner by the Germans early in World War II*. While that is a horrible start to a love story, Greasley managed to turn it around by wooing the daughter of the quarry manager at the camp. A year later, he was transferred to another camp. Rather than let the romance die, he began sneaking out of his camp to visit the young Rosa Rauchbach.
He would visit his girlfriend overnight and then sneak back into his own camp. The arrangement ended with the war when the pair separated and Greasley returned to Britain. In the above photo, Greasley stares down Heinrich Himmler like it’s no big deal.
*Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Greasley was Czech. Though he was called up after the invasion of Czechoslovakia, he was called up by his own native country, Britain, to serve in its army. The post has been corrected.
Everyone knows Cuba is a bastion of great music — but most people probably don’t consider Guantanamo Bay when they’re thinking of all that great Cuban sound. They definitely don’t think of the Navy base for having a good time rockin’ in Fidel’s backyard — which happens to be the slogan of the radio station on base.
The truth is, there’s an amazing collection of music in that remote corner of the island — and the Navy takes full advantage by playing all of the greatest hits by the original artists.
Part of Radio GTMO’s collection.
Radio GTMO houses an amazing collection of some 22,000 pieces of music — some on reel-to-reel tape and many others on vinyl — including a reel-to-reel of the Beatles anthology. The collection is valued at over $2 million and is carefully cataloged in alphabetical order on a series of index cards.
“I believe this is one of the largest, if not the largest, collection in the Armed Services Network,” Kelly Wirfel, base spokeswoman, told Military Times.
Though the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo has been in operation since 1903 (it’s the oldest overseas U.S. Navy installation), Radio GTMO has only been in operation since 1940. Unfortunately, Cubans outside of the base don’t get to hear the Classic Rock and Top 40 songs played by Radio Gitmo — the transmission signal stops at the base’s gate (Cubans get music and news from outside Cuba via another U.S. government entity — Radio Marti, run by the same folks who create Voice of America News).
Radio GTMO personality, DJ Stacks, Petty Officer 3rd Class Heidi McCormick, pieces together her classic rock radio program, Jan. 10. McCormick is one of four DJs at the station who put together a total 21 local shows for the Guantanamo Bay community.
(U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Benjamin Cossel)
The radio station will still broadcast even its oldest vinyl records, even though Adrian Cronauer (a former Air Force DJ played by Robin Williams in the film Good Morning, Vietnam) says they belong in a museum. So, how did such a stash end up in a remote corner of Cuba? The reason for it is that the station never sent its analog collection back to the Armed Forces Network when it was all recalled in the 1990s in an effort to go digital.
Among the station’s other rare offerings are live performances by Chuck Berry, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, and John Coltrane — among many, many others. It’s the third largest collection of music on any military base and the pearls of its collection rivals even the Library of Congress.
The first footage of Todd Phillips’ origin story tale of DC Comics villain the Joker is finally here.
Warner Bros. released a teaser of the movie on April 3, 2019, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the man before becoming the Clown Prince of Crime. This follows the footage being shown April 2, 2019, at CinemaCon, the annual convention for theater owners in Las Vegas, which Business Insider is attending this week. As part of Warner Bros. showing off its 2019 slate, Phillips came out and introduced the teaser to a packed house of exhibitors and press.
He said the movie was still “taking shape,” and that most of the chatter about the movie online “hasn’t been very accurate.” He added: “I guess that’s what happens when you set out to do an origin story about a character that doesn’t have a definitive origin.”
But he did give a little hint about the movie’s tone, saying “it’s a tragedy.”
The teaser certainly has that feel. Phoenix plays the character Arthur as a sad clown. He’s someone who seems very attached to his mother and finds love at home but outside, in a very grimy and dangerous Gotham City, is often picked on and violently attacked. Then it seems something finally snaps in Arthur, or maybe it was always there and circumstances lead the other side of him to finally come out.
But his descent into madness has a very Travis-Bickle-in-“Taxi-Driver” feel. The only difference is Travis wanted to wipe the scum off the streets of New York, and it seems in “Joker” Arthur wants to be the leader of the scum of Gotham.
We’ll find out what happens when “Joker” hits theaters Oct. 4, 2019.
After a year’s delay that sent ripples of mouth-watering agony coursing through companies of deployed service members the world over, uniting rival branches in mutual, food-fetish FOMO, the wait is finally over.
At long last, the Pizza MRE is here.
Well, sort of. The production issues that hung it up at Natick have been ironed out, but MRE stock is distributed in the order in which it’s made, so the first wave of high-tech Italian-American grunt pies won’t cycle into the supply chain until the end of 2018. So, technically speaking, the most highly anticipated ration item since MREs replaced the C-Ration in in 1981 is not so much here as it is “here.”
Yeah, you wish the MRE came out of the plastic looking like this. Staff Sgt. Jeffery Furbush, 8th Maintenance Squadron, cuts up a pizza during a cooking class at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Feb. 20, 2013. Note: While this fancy, air-base pie may look delicious, when wrapped up in tin foil, it lasts like 36 hours, tops. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Marcus Morris)
But to the pizza-lovers of the US military (read: everybody), the distribution tables are irrelevant. Natick has finally delivered on a 30-year-old promise, a field-ready slice of pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni that is shelf-stable for 3 years when stored at 80 degrees or below and can survive a 100-foot airdrop.
Nevermind that Norwegian Arctic Field Rations have featured a similar slice since at least 2016 and certain over-excited internet boy scouts have been taunting us with sketchily sourced taste tests on YouTube, like this one:
(Oldsmokey | YouTube)The culinary technicians of the Combat Feeding Directorate at Natick achieved their piz(za) de résistance in high style, using no chemical preservatives, opting instead for a dash of rosemary oil to solve the oxidation issue that was turning the sauce brown prior to the 3-year enjoy-by date.
The pizza will join pocket sandwiches in the ever-expanding line of “first-strike meals,” which are designed to be lighter and easier to consume than traditional MRE’s for troops operating under battlefield conditions.
So, good news, troops.
While your MRE pizza delivery may actually still be a ways off, you can at least take comfort in the old guarantee: since it didn’t arrive in 30 minutes or less, your pizza will be free.
From left, Airmen Basic Patryk Herman and Derrick Dillion, 338th Training Squadron students, are served pizza by Staff Sgt. Tawny Crutcher, Tech. Sgt. Charles Poston, Staff Sgt. Charmaine Flint, Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Miller and Master Sgt. Jakelyne Kamarakafego, members of the Air Force Sergeants Association. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)
The next James Bond movie and Daniel Craig’s last in the role looks like it’s easily going to the best of his movies as 007. And based on the second trailer for No Time To Die, it’s possible this could be the best Bond movie ever. The second trailer for No Time To Die finds Bond teaming-up with a new “double-0” agent, and seemingly allying himself with an old baddie. Most of all though, this looks exactly the kind of escapist action we want from James Bond right now, complete with a jolt or the franchise: moving beyond being just about James.
Following the events of Spectre (2015), this movie seems to be about James Bond coming out of retirement after having lived happily and quietly with Madeline Swan (Léa Seydoux) for a little while. And as we know in the previous trailer (released much earlier in 2020), Swan will have some kind of secret past that puts her at odds with Bond. Is she a secret spy? Someone being controlled by another baddie, like Vesper was in Casino Royale? Is there actually any new plot ideas here? Well, maybe not, but that doesn’t mean the movie doesn’t look awesome. Here’s the new trailer, courtesy of the official 007 Twitter.
There are still a few mysteries here, and if we’re being fair, one element that seems to be taking the 007 franchise in a very new direction. We’ve known for a while that Lashana Lynch would be playing a new agent working for MI-6, but some rumors suggest she’s actually the new 007 because after he retired, Bond’s number was given to someone else. In the new trailer, Bond says “I’ve met your new double-o,” referring to Lynch’s new character. It’s also clear that at some point in the movie these two will be teamed-up, which strongly suggests that Lynch will become a new 007 in her own spin-off movies. The Bond franchise floated this idea once before when Halle Berry played the CIA agent Jinx in the 2002 movie Die Another Day, but a Jinx standalone movie never actually happened.James Bond will always be a man, according to series producer Barbara Broccoli, but that doesn’t mean a new 007 can’t be a Black woman.
It’s also not clear if Rami Malek’s new character is secretly Dr. No in disguise, though Madaline Swan calls him by a different name, assuming she’s talking about the same person. As for the rest of the cast, everyone from the Craig Bond-era is back, including Jefferey Wright as Felix Leiter, Ralph Fiennes as “M”, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, and Ben Winshaw as “Q.” This movie is also a reunion of sorts between Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig, who both starred in Knives Out. In fact, just like in Knives Out, it looks like these two are also teaming up! Finally, Christoph Waltz is back as Blofeld, and he implies that he and Bond are now fighting “a common enemy.”
With classic car chases, slick Bond action, it’s possible that No Time To Die could become the Bond movie to rule them all, and a perfect way to close out Daniel Craig’s run as 007.
The new trailer says that No Time To Die will be in cinemas in November. Previously, the release date was pushed back from its first release date in April. Right now, it seems like MGM is pretty serious about this release date. So…we’ll see!
This article originally appeared on Fatherly. Follow @FatherlyHQ on Twitter.
‘A War,’ directed by Tobias Lindholm, is a Danish film nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year. The movie follows Danish Army infantry commander Claus Pedersen, played by Pilou Asbæk, as he leads his men in Afghanistan. Claus struggles with the complexities of rules of engagement during a firefight, and has to deal with the consequences of his decisions in a murky military trial back home.
This time, WATM’s Blake Stilwell was invited to meet with Lindholm to discuss the inspiration behind the film, the goals he hoped to accomplish with it, and the decisions he made for the filming process.
Lindholm and Asbæk previously visited the WATM offices to talk about their experiences working on the film.
