usn Archives

Aug 3, 2023

This insanely talented sniper was known as ‘The White Death’

In the beginning, “The White Death” found himself fighting against an enemy force of 4,000 with just 31 other men at his side.

Aug 3, 2023

Jul 24, 2022

The unofficial nickname of the US’ largest cargo plane may surprise you

America’s airmen have long held unofficial nicknames for the aircraft they love — and for the aircraft they hate. Some are more well-known than others. For example, everyone knows the A-10 Thunderbolt II as the “Warthog” because when it first e…

Jul 24, 2022

BYJames Elphick

May 29, 2022

This is how Eddie Rickenbacker earned 7 service crosses and the Medal of Honor

Once America entered World War I some of the first forces it sent to France were those of the newly-formed Air Service. Among those troops was a relatively famous racecar driver and mechanic who would become America…

BYJames Elphick

May 29, 2022

Jan 19, 2023

This 12-year-old boy became a Navy hero in World War II

Calvin Graham was the youngest of seven children of a poor Texas farm family and because of his abusive stepfather, he and one of his older brothers decided to move out. Calvin supported himself by selling newspapers an…

Jan 19, 2023

Jan 17, 2023

This monster aircraft was the helicopter version of the AC-130 gunship

With two 20mm cannons, a 40mm automatic grenade launcher, five .50-cal. machine guns, and two weapon pods that could carry either 70mm rocket launchers or 7.62mm miniguns, the armored ACH-47A Chinook could fly into the teeth of enemy resistance and …

Jan 17, 2023

BYShannon Corbeil

Dec 27, 2021

How to not be a dirtbag Company Grade Officer

Officers in the military don’t always have the best reputation. Company Grade Officers, or “CGOs,” might have it worse — at least there’s some heft behind a full-bird; lieutenants are like wee babes in the wood. In the …

BYShannon Corbeil

Dec 27, 2021

Dec 17, 2021

This is what basic training in the French Foreign Legion is like

If the idea of spending 12 weeks in boot camp is what keeps people from joining the Marine Corps, they should be thankful that it’s only that long. It could always be worse — like in the French Foreign Legion’s four month basic training. …

Dec 17, 2021

Feb 10, 2023

5 surprising facts you probably didn’t know about the French Foreign Legion

1. Legionnaires are instilled with a “fight to the death” attitude. Giving up is not really an option. In April 1863, a battle between the French Foreign Legion and the Mexican army showed how effective and ballsy legionnaires really coul…

Feb 10, 2023

Jan 2, 2023

This is why some Marines wear the ‘French Fourragere,’ and some don’t

You may have noticed a select few Marines and sailors walking around in their uniforms with a green rope wrapped around their left arm — it’s not just for decoration. That green rope is called a “

Jan 2, 2023

Jun 27, 2023

This War of 1812 veteran saw the Battle of Gettysburg from his porch, then joined it

This War of 1812 and the Mexican War vet even tried to work as a supply driver for the Union Army but was sent back to his home in Gettysburg.

Jun 27, 2023

Jul 23, 2021

This pilot of a stricken F-16 was saved from ISIS by a quick-thinking tanker crew

An F-16 pilot flying over ISIS-held territory in 2015 suffered a malfunction of his fuel system and would have been forced to bail out if it weren’t for a KC-135 Stratotanker crew that offered to escort the jet home, the Air Force said in a press r…

Jul 23, 2021

May 10, 2022

That time this Navy squadron bombed North Vietnam with a toilet

In October 1965, Commander Clarence W. Stoddard, Jr. of the USS Midway carried a special bomb to North Vietnam to celebrate the six millionth pound of ordnance dropped on the Communist country: a ceramic toilet. <p al…

May 10, 2022

Jun 10, 2021

That time 4 Royal Marines strapped themselves to attack helicopters and rode into a Taliban compound

In January 2007, a group of Royal Marines threw together a crazy mission to rescue a wounded Marine trapped inside the compound. To get him back, four Marines strapped themselves to the outside of Apache helicopters and rode back into the compound…

Jun 10, 2021

May 9, 2023

6 weird laws unique to the US military

U.S. troops obey a set of legal guidelines called the Uniform Code of Military Justice. While the UCMJ mirrors civilian law in many ways, there are some laws on the military books that are unique and somewhat bizarre. Here’s a sampling of…

May 9, 2023

Apr 29, 2021

This ‘Marine’s Marine’ was best known for his deadly skill with a mortar tube

Leland Diamond joined the Marines in 1917 at the age of 27 to fight World War I. Diamond made a name for himself during that war as a Marine’s Marine. He was known for walking around without his cover, wearing his dungarees most places he went, and…