Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 437)

Army

‘I hate it’ — Trump says signing letters to the families of fallen soldiers is the hardest thing he does

"But no matter what you do, it's devastating. The parents will never be the same. The families will never be the same. People are killed. Many people are still being killed. It's going to go on that way for perhaps a long time."

United States

Court withdraws controversial legal opinion that determined court-martialing military retirees was unconstitutional

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals will reconsider the case of Stephen Begani, a retired Navy chief petty officer who faced a court-martial after leaving the military. The court also withdrew its July 31 opinion on court-martialing retirees, according to an Oct. 1 order

News

The White House pinky swears it told the Pentagon about pulling troops from northeast Syria

"I don't know who would be blindsided at the Pentagon. That surprises me that anyone would say that because this is something that was discussed among senior leadership here at the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon. So, I don't know how anyone could be blindsided."

News

The war in Afghanistan is now old enough to buy cigarettes, get awful military tattoos, enlist, and fight itself

HBD, Operation Enduring Freedom.

News

US troops won’t try to stop a Turkish invasion of northeast Syria

Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman stressed the Defense Department does "not endorse" any Turkish military incursion into Syria.

Europe

The US is plotting one of its largest European military exercises since the Cold War

The exercise includes a total of 37,000 troops — including 20,000 US and service members from 18 other countries

Middle East

Trump announces the US is leaving its Kurdish allies in Syria at the mercy of Turkey

For the second time in 10 months, President Donald Trump has acquiesced to Turkish demands to move U.S. forces out of the way of a planned offensive against the Kurdish fighters who have fought and died alongside U.S. troops to destroy ISIS's former caliphate in Syria

Opinion

We’re still fighting in Afghanistan and no one cares

Today, Oct. 7, marks the anniversary of combat operations in Afghanistan, which is now our longest war to date, and other than a select few who bear the brunt of this burden, most people won't think twice about this somber and embarrassing anniversary. Nothing could be more insulting to the troops currently serving

News

Senior US diplomat privately warns that Iraqi prime minister’s resignation ‘appears inevitable’ amid deadly protests

In the wake of escalating violence in Iraq, the resignation of the country's prime minister may be imminent, Task & Purpose has learned.

Ukraine

A second whistleblower has come forward with ‘first-hand knowledge’ of allegations made in the original complaint

One of the primary ways Trump has called into question the original whistleblower's credibility was by saying they had second-hand information.

Mandatory Fun

Defense Secretary Mark Esper doesn’t listen to music during PT because he finds it ‘distracting’

"I like to be inside my head thinking about work."

News

The US military has been hitting the Taliban harder since peace talks fell through, Esper says

At the direction of President Donald Trump, the U.S. military has ramped up the number of air and ground attacks against the Taliban, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday

Entertainment

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how ‘1917’ shows World War I combat like never before

The upcoming drama intends to drop viewers right directly the trenches of World War I

Army

You can now buy the ammo specially made for the Army’s new handgun

Legendary gunmaker Winchester is offering up the specialized ammo designed for the Army's new handgun for consumer purchase, the company announced on Monday

Africa

The US is offering a ton of cash for help hunting down those responsible for the 2017 Niger attack

The announcement comes exactly two years after four Special Forces soldiers were killed in the ambush.

Marine Corps

The Netherlands Marine Corps just took the ‘Tetris Challenge’ to a whole new level

If you love the recent deluge of 'Tetris Challenge' photos showing service members and first responders lying alongside their neatly-organized gear, then you're going to go buck wild for this intimidating shot from the Netherlands Marine Corps

Marine Corps

The Corps now wants Marines to be an NCO before getting brown or black martial arts belts

The Marine Corps has decided that its personnel just can't handle the power that comes with being a brown or black belt warrior unless they are at least a non-commissioned officer.

Marine Corps

The student who disarmed a gunman during a Colorado high school shooting is now a US Marine

One of the high school students who helped take down and disarm a gunman during a school shooting earlier this year graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Training on Sept. 20.

Army

The Fort Bliss soldier who saved children during the El Paso shooting was just arrested for desertion

The Army specialist who was hailed as a hero for saving a group of children during the August mass shooting at an El Paso mall complex has been arrested for allegedly deserting his post

Ukraine

Pentagon ordered to hand over documents related to delayed military aid to Ukraine

"My understanding is that this is a fairly standard practice."