Air Force

A declassified look at how U.S. airmen turned ordinary cargo aircraft into deadly gunships, reshaping modern airpower through wartime improvisation.

Under fire in Vietnam, Bernie Fisher landed on a shattered runway, loaded his wounded wingman, and flew out through bullets to save a life.

Major John L. Plaster’s SOG is a blunt, first-hand account of MACV-SOG’s small-team missions behind enemy lines that makes Hollywood action look fake by comparison because it’s built on real consequences, brutal odds, and men who did not get to choose how it ended.

Maduro remains in U.S. custody as Venezuelans celebrate and stabilization plans take shape, RAF Typhoons struck an ISIS weapons cache in Syria, Wagner continues fueling Sudan’s RSF proxy war, and gunmen killed at least 30 in a raid in Nigeria.

Delta Force with DEVGRU support removed Nicolás Maduro as the U.S. moves toward prosecution and a short stabilization plan, Iran threatened U.S. forces after Trump warned Tehran over killing protesters, and Russia claimed Huliaipole while Ukraine and independent mappers describe a heavily contested gray zone in Zaporizhzhia.

Explosions hit Caracas amid claims of a major U.S. operation and possible SOF involvement, DPAA identified 231 missing Americans in FY25, the FBI seized a $40 million motorcycle hoard tied to a wanted trafficker, and Iraq says it no longer needs Coalition forces as Ain al-Asad is handed over.

The faceted black jet was dragged across a Saudi ramp like contraband in broad daylight, and if you listen closely you can hear the old rules of air war cracking in half.

After a deadly ambush near Palmyra, US forces hit more than 70 ISIS targets across central Syria in a heavy retaliation strike meant to keep ISIS cells from regrouping. Russia is pounding Odesa while massing forces near Pokrovsk, and back home a Bellevue officer-involved shooting is under review by King County’s independent investigators as both the officer and suspect recover.

Pin-up art did not start in WWII, but the war turned it into a morale weapon. From magazine centerfolds to bomber noses, these images reminded troops what “home” looked like, gave crews unit identity, and rode shotgun as lucky charms. The women in the pictures and the women painting them were part of the wartime machine.

He crawled through the jungle on willpower alone, proving that character can outlast bone, muscle, and even the certainty of death.

Three quick hits this evening: Lockheed just fired up a new Huntsville hypersonics lab to speed Army strike programs, Benin swatted down a coup attempt when most of the army stayed loyal, and back in D.C. Pete Hegseth is catching shrapnel for allegedly pushing Yemen strike details over Signal like OPSEC is optional.

On Veterans Day I carry my grandfathers’ quiet courage with me—a reminder that the Greatest Generation’s faith in duty, sacrifice and simple decency is not a relic of the past but a living call we must answer every day.