Luke Ryan

For the first time since the Vietnam War, a U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, has docked in Danang, Vietnam — with a cruiser and a destroyer in tow. This has been part of the ongoing efforts to bolster the relationship between the United States and Vietnam, and the DOD says that its mission […]

It was March 5, 1770. Boston was a central shipping town, important in the eyes of the British as they moved goods to and from the eastern coast of the New World. It was night, and many colonists had rallied together near the Customs House in town and started throwing snowballs at a British soldier […]

We live in the booming information age, where information of all sorts is readily accessible to countless people across the globe. Videos, articles and social media posts can be shared and viewed like never before — everything from cute cat videos in rural Japan to gruesome decapitations in Syria to wildfires in western America — […]

South Africa‘s recent controversy has drawn international attention as they have passed a new bill, essentially authorizing the confiscation of land owned by white people and subsequent redistribution to black South Africans. It has been called “land expropriation without compensation” and the bill passed in the house, 241 voting yes and 83 voting no. The […]

You know the trope: the veteran comes home from “the war.” He is distant, has vivid flashbacks that send him careening to the floor, is always on high alert and can’t seem to turn it off; he digs foxholes in his backyard and drinks way too much. Countless movies and television shows have portrayed veterans […]

There is a kind of mythological component when people talk about invading Russia in the winter. A lot of people imagine Hitler, rashly deciding to invade the northern country during the coldest time of year, just as Napoleon had, and their asses getting handed to them by both the terrible cold and the Russians who […]

On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by Executive Order 10924. Coming out of WWII and the Korean War, the idea of peaceful initiatives across the world was intriguing to many. Senator Brien McMahon of Connecticut proposed “full-time missionaries of democracy” that would be sent to third world nations struggling […]

Transitioning out of the military comes with a whole new slew of problems. Finding a job can be difficult, but even if you opt to use the GI-Bill and get a degree, that isn’t a guarantee for a good, fulfilling job right out the door by any means. College is necessary for huge swaths of […]

“So, I’ve got three hypothetical stories for you,” Patrick Bacon said as he sipped his beer and leaned back into his couch. “Let’s say, right after high school, Pat Bacon drinks way too much and decides to drive. Let’s say he hits someone and it’s all over the news. ‘Pat Bacon kills bystander.’ It probably […]

Many are aware of the systemic issues throughout the VA healthcare systems. There have been numerous complaints and documented issues that, to the frustration of many veterans, don’t seem to garner much attention from the people actually in charge of these hospitals. The issues have ranged anywhere from difficulties in getting transplants to the literal […]

February 27, 1942 — The USS Langley was sailing off the Indonesian coast with her escort anti-submarine vessels in tow. A Japanese reconnaissance plane spotted them and reported back to their command. By mid-day, the U.S. ships were being bombarded by Japanese bombers — Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bombers, to be precise, known to […]

Turn on the TV or fire up your phone. You’ll find several narratives telling you how the world is spiraling out of control, full of racist cops and mindless thugs, terrorists pining to destroy the west and bombs that seem to be decimating every square inch of the Middle East. Eastern Asia is rife with […]