Military history

Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft alongside Bill Gates. He has been estimated to have been the 46th richest person in the world, and has a knack for underwater exploration. He owns the RV Petrel, a research vessel outfitted with deep sea equipment that is more capable than ever — it is the only ship equipped to explore depths […]

Lt. Jim Downing, the second oldest living survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled the United States into World War II, passed away at the age of 104 last week. Downing, who joined the Navy at 19 years old and devoted 24 years to the branch, was serving aboard the USS West […]

Today marks the 76th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that would propel the United States into the largest conflict ever seen on the face of the planet.  On this date in 1941, a surprise attack carried out by the Japanese on American naval assets in Hawaii led to the death of over 2,000 American […]

The history of things, whatever they are, has always been fascinating to me for one reason or another. The same goes for etymology or the history of words. But, for today I’m going to attempt to write a few articles on something that’s popped up. Berets–their respective colors, whose heritage those colors are tied to […]

As we discussed in Part 3, the domestic home front became a battle for ideas and slogans as the Roosevelt administration pushed the nation to get ready for war. FDR established the Office of Coordinator of Information (COI), based on the directions of Colonel William Donovan. Col Donovan spent considerable time with British officials, and […]

On this day in SOF history: October 16th 1981 — 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is officially established The legendary aviation unit responsible for flying the most high-risk missions in American Special Operations was officially established on October 16th, 1981. We take for granted the incredibly skilled pilots within the Regiment, but before the Night […]

Over a span of more than a hundred years, the 1911 pistol platform has earned a reputation as an accurate and reliable shooter.  Designed specifically to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Army after a campaign in the Philippines saw the current service pistol, a double action revolver chambered in .38, fail to provide […]

In recent months, the American THAAD missile defense system has garnered a great deal of attention, as its powerful radar array and kinetic projectiles are said to be capable of successfully defending an area the size of New Jersey from incoming ballistic missiles.  The United States has had a particular interest in intercepting inbound nukes […]

Here in the United States, we tend to reflect on history as it pertains to us.  We look back at the tragedy of war through a specifically American perspective, and with good reason.  Our holidays like Memorial Day and Veterans Day aren’t intended to simply celebrate the service and sacrifice of the brave men and […]

Tanks are among the more expensive pieces of ground equipment a national military has to spring for.  That, combined with the general novelty of seeing these massive, rumbling war machines in person or on film ensures that they maintain some level of value even well after their usefulness in battle has evaporated. Companies all over […]

Nuclear weapons have been an integral part of American offensive and defensive capabilities since their very inception.  Ever since J. Robert Oppenheimer uttered the famous words, “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds,” in awe and terror while witnessing the destructive power of splitting the atom, the United States has done everything it could […]

It’s hard to do justice where it is deserved especially when it comes to the guys from the WWII era. I would like to tell you about missions that dealt with inserting swimmers in the dark hours of the night in the Pacific behind Japanese lines. You know how it goes, the boat guys insert […]