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Marine vet buys sword that slayed the lava monster in the iconic 90s recruiting ad
Marine veteran Jackson Dodd recently bought the iconic sword from the original blacksmith who forged it for the legendary “Rite of Passage” recruiting commercial.
Posted 21 Hours Ago
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Army wants junior officers to fix quality-of-life issues that drive soldiers out
The Army’s Junior Officer Counsel pilot program aims to get officers to come up with solutions for quality of life problems that are driving soldiers out of the Army.
When rank-and-file troops leak secrets, they often end up in the brig
“Oh, I’d be court-martialed for that,” said a former military judge after news broke that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may have texted strike plans to a journalist.
‘100% OPSEC’ apparently means texting military plans to a reporter
Defense officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussed the plans and intelligence sources behind a U.S. airstrike on Houthi rebels in a group chat that included a reporter.
Here’s the origin of the Army’s ‘Red Wing’ design on the Mariner Badges
The design of the Mariner Badge signifies that the soldiers fall under the Transportation Corps. The “winged wheel” symbolizes rail transportation.
How the Union took to the skies in the Civil War
The short-lived Union Army Balloon Corps was in a way the U.S. military’s first air force. It ended up paving the way for aerial reconnaissance and tactics.
The Army wants to make it easier to call Lyft and Uber on base
The Army has launched a pilot program at six major bases intended to make it easier for soldiers and military families to get picked up and dropped off by ride-sharing companies.
Soldiers sail across the Rhine to mark 80th anniversary of the invasion of Germany
Troops and dignitaries gathered at the Rhine to commemorate a major breakthrough by the Third Army against the Nazis.
Pentagon orders second Navy carrier group to the Middle East
The USS Carl Vinson will join the USS Harry S. Truman as the U.S. military’s fight against the Houthis in Yemen continues.
National Guard appeals to anti-corporate Gen Z in new commercial
The new commercial series “Uncommon is Calling” gets at the heart of Gen Zers who hate the 9-to-5 corporate life but also want careers with flexibility and meaning.
Air Force kicks off exercise named [checks notes] ‘Turbo Weasel’
“Turbo Weasel” was named to pay tribute to the 480th Fighter Squadron, which is tasked with suppressing enemy air defenses, also known as “Wild Weasel” missions.
Campaign against the Houthis will not be ‘an endless offensive,’ Pentagon says
The U.S. military has resumed air and missile strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The strikes are going after “a much broader set of targets” in Yemen than before.
‘Saving Private Ryan’ didn’t make the Army’s list of most accurate movie portrayals
An Army historian felt that while the film’s iconic and terrifying D-Day landing scenes were realistic, the rest of the film’s action and plot made it a “typical World War II movie.”
2 West Point grads think it’s time for a military academy for cyber, space, and robotics
Elon Musk called the idea “Starfleet Academy,” as two former Army officers think a new academy should bring elite high-tech focused high school students together, close to the brainpower of Silicon Valley.
Army reveals designs for Mountaineering and Mariner Badges
The Army has unveiled the designs for the service’s new Mountaineering and Mariner Badges, which soldiers should be able to buy later this year.
Medal of Honor recipient depicted in movie ‘Glory’ erased from Pentagon website
Denzel Washington reenacted the heroics of Sgt. William Carney. Senate Democrats called recent removals from a Pentagon website a “middle finger to veterans.”
A new Army manual lays out the ‘arctic determination’ at the heart of fighting in extreme cold
The Army’s new arctic and extreme cold weather operations manual covers everything from ambushes and evacuations to how chaplains can keep wine warm for services in extreme cold.
Task & Purpose was founded in 2014 as a voice for the military community, and continues to serve that community with accurate reporting and great storytelling to this day. Our journalists have reported on the front lines of the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota and the war in Afghanistan. We’ve uncovered American veterans being abused in Kuwaiti prisons, deported veterans being forced to work for Mexican cartels, and drawn national attention to a longstanding legal rule barring service members from suing the government — even in the face of gross negligence.
