President Trump to award Medal of Honor to Vietnam medic James C. McCloughan

The Pentagon has announced that President Donald Trump will award the Congressional Medal of Honor to former Army Specialist and Vietnam Veteran James C. McCloughan in a ceremony on July 31st. According to news release provided by the Pentagon, McCloughan will receive the prestigious award for “distinguished actions during 48 hours of close-combat fighting against […]

Special Forces origins: The Devil’s Brigade

The men dropped to one knee on the side of a dirty mountain road, their breath frosting into tiny, pulsing clouds as they focused a stare toward the objective. From here the twin peaks belied a peaceful scene of deep green slopes and gentle curving crests that melded with countless others in the region. Any […]

VA compensation service analyst downplays Agent Orange risks, questions critics

A key official who helps adjudicate claims by veterans who say they were exposed to Agent Orange has downplayed the risks of the chemical herbicide and questioned the findings of scientists, journalists and a federal administrative tribunal that conflict with his views. Jim Sampsel, a lead analyst within the Department of Veterans Affairs’ compensation service, […]

Celebrity Military Service: Why are there so few modern veterans in Hollywood?

After Wonder Woman’s box office success, a number of stories surfaced about the movie’s lead actress who, despite expertly carrying her own blockbuster feature film, was a relative unknown to American audiences before she first donned the bullet-proof bracelets.  Gal Gadot, many soon learned, isn’t just a badass on screen – like all Israeli citizens, […]

Watch: South Korean and Norwegian Navy sinks decommissioned US ship with missile strikes

Modern naval vessels have much more dramatic challenges to face than the broadside cannon attacks of yester-year, particularly in the form of anti-ship missiles.  Unlike torpedoes, which are difficult to intercept but tend to be fairly slow compared to the speeds demonstrated by missiles, anti-ship missiles can be fired from significant distances away – in […]

F-35 problems? Why not restart the F-22 program? Here are the nuts and bolts of it…

The F-35 has been in the headlines repeatedly in recent years.  Whenever a news outlet needs an example of gratuitous military spending, you can bet a picture of Lockheed’s banner jet will find its way into the article.  If someone’s in the mood to post a bit of patriotic motivation, the F-35’S incredibly advanced technological […]

Former Navy SEAL and Leap Frogger turns a passion for skydiving into a thriving business

The reasons people pursue serving in the United States military are as diverse as the people who serve, and even within the military, one person’s experiences may vary pretty dramatically from the next.  Different people, different branches, and different occupational specialties makes each person’s service unique, but for everyone that laces up their boots for […]

Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) | A Marine’s reflection

During my enlistment in the Marine Corps I was assigned to the 2nd bn, 8th Marines (WPNS Co.). Eventually my unit was attached to the 24th MEU(SOC), as a TRAP Team. TRAP stands for Tactical Recovery of Aircraft Personnel. The TRAP team was a QRF  (quick reaction force) in the event one of our pilots went down behind […]

Remembering Charles Q. Williams Medal of Honor Recipient June 9-10, 1965

In a battle for the district capital of Phuc Long Province in the III Corps area about 60 miles northeast of Saigon in the country of Viet Nam, Special Forces 2LT Charles Q. Williams would distinguish himself in the battle of the Dong Xoai CIDG camp and later be awarded the Medal of Honor. In […]

Lockheed announces development of a MACH 6 capable successor to the SR-71

The SR-71 Blackbird has had an almost immeasurable effect on the world we live in today.  Its record as the fastest aircraft ever to take to the skies speaks to the incredible engineering and problem solving employed by Lockheed Martin in the 1960s, and the reconnaissance missions it carried out over the Soviet Union and […]

Remembering Philipe Kieffer, French Commando

Tall, with a refined face resembling a statesman, Phillipe Kieffer was 40 years old when he volunteered for active military service in French Navy after it declared war on Germany in September 1940. He served aboard a battleship, then at Northern Fleet headquarters, as he watched his beloved France crumbled under the heel of German […]