Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 21)

Two ships sail side by side.
News

Navy names three new ships, one after Silver Star recipient

The Navy's new amphibious transport dock ship will honor a fallen Marine, while two surveillance ships pay tribute to deep sea explorers.

An airman with the 802nd Security Forces Squadron stands outside a gate to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas in June, 2024. (photo by Brian Boisvert/U.S. Air Force)
Military Life

Military bases reinstate Trust Traveler program following pause

U.S. Northern Command suspended the base-access program in the wake of the terror attacks in Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Soldiers in uniform alongside sheriff's deputies stand at a checkpoint with a "road closed" sign.
News

More California National Guard troops sent to help fight Los Angeles fires

A soldier jumps out of a Humvee in a desert location.
News

Three Humvees stolen at Army Reserve Center in Tustin

This is not the first time Humvees have been stolen in California.

Air Force uniform inspections
News

Air Force ‘standards update’ includes more inspections and review of ‘waivers and exceptions’

The Air Force is launching a review that will look at dress and appearance standards and policies.

Marine UH-1Y Venom
News

Operation Greenland, Hegseth’s looming confirmation hearing and other military news

Pete Hegseth’s confirmation for Defense Secretary is next week, the Army still can’t figure out social media, and President-elect Donald Trump really wants more states in the U.S.

A WW-II tanker used a teaspoon ruse to take 24 POWs after becoming one himself.
History

This WWII Tanker took more than 20 prisoners while armed only with a spoon

Following a fierce tank battle, a WW II tanker managed to bamboozle both Italian and German troops into surrendering to a utensil.

Nicotine Pouches Study
News

Soldiers use nicotine pouches close to 10 times more than civilians, study finds

A survey of soldiers at Fort Liberty found that about one in four troops used nicotine pouches, a versus just 3% of all American adults.

The noncommissioned officer commanding the formation salutes the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion command sergeant major during the battalion’s drill and ceremony competition during Marne First Friday at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, June 4. Marne First Friday allows units to conduct training and events that help build team work and esprit de corps across the formation. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Andrew McNeil/ 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division)
News

Soldiers are turning to social media when the chain of command falls short. The Army sees it as a nuisance.

Despite the Army's insistence that soldiers should bring issues to their chain of command, rank-and-file troops are heading online to resolve problems when their unit leaders can't, or won't.

The Army wants to model its next generation of chow halls on college campus cafeterias. They may even have delivery services.
News

The Army wants to overhaul its dining halls with ‘campus’-style food and maybe even delivery service

The Army wants to model its next generation of chow halls on college campus cafeterias. They may even have delivery services.

1st Battalion, 4th Marines
News

Storied Marine infantry battalion to be transformed into Littoral Combat Team

1st Battalion, 4th Marines will hold a ceremony on Jan. 10 to mark the unit’s redesignation as the 12th Littoral Combat Team.

Nick Sanza was a tunnel rat during the Vietnam War
History

A day in the life of a Vietnam ‘tunnel rat’

With just a bamboo stick, a bayonet and a revolver, this tunnel rat went into the unknown every time he entered a Viet Cong tunnel system, knowing death could be around the corner. 

Air Force F016
News

Air Force F-16 drops external fuel tank over Florida city

A fuel tank, dropped from an F-16 out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, landed in the city of Niceville. No one was injured and the incident is under investigation.

Army doctor pleads guilty on first day of trial in largest military abuse case
News

Army doctor pleads guilty on first day of trial in largest military abuse case

Maj. Michael Stockin, an anesthesiologist at Joint Base Lewis-McChord pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of sexual misconduct while treating patients.

The Navy will name a guided-missile destroyer for Senator Robert Kerrey, the first Navy SEAL awarded the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.
News

Navy names new destroyer for Senator who was first SEAL awarded Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor recipient Navy Lt. Robert Kerrey led SEAL teams in Vietnam and was later elected governor of Nebraska and then to the U.S. senate for a dozen years.

A-10s
News

A-10s still flying in Iraq and Syria even as ‘Warthog’ units get put out to pasture

A-10s took part in U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, helping ground forces eliminate ISIS fighters in a cave.

Army says New Years bombers overlapped at Fort Liberty and were both in Afghanistan ‘surge’
News

Army says New Years bombers overlapped at Fort Liberty and were both in Afghanistan ‘surge’

The two soldiers believed to be behind the New Orleans and Las Vegas attacks were assigned to North Carolina and Afghanistan at the same time, the Army confirmed, contradicting previous law enforcement statements.

Marine boot camp photos
News

Marine recruit uniforms were photoshopped on at boot camp

From August to December 2024, Marine recruits in San Diego had dress blue coats and covers photoshopped onto their yearbook pictures.

The first two Distinguished Service Cross recipients were two female Army nurses.
History

The first Americans to earn the Distinguished Service Cross were two Army nurses

The Distinguished Service Cross was established as the nation’s second-highest valor award, but its 20,000 recipients are often forgotten in history.

VA extends education benefits by a year for more than a million veterans
Military Life

VA extends education benefits by a year for more than a million veterans

Veterans who served multiple enlistments can now get as much as 48 months of educational support from two GI bills.