Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 451)

We salute the Marine who crawled across the Boston Marathon finish line to honor his fallen comrades
Marine Corps

We salute the Marine who crawled across the Boston Marathon finish line to honor his fallen comrades

An active-duty Marine who ran the Boston Marathon on Sunday to honor three men who died by his side in Afghanistan finished the race the only way he could — on his hands and knees.

The Army is launching a registry to track housing complaints, provide medical assistance for housing-related illnesses
Army

The Army is launching a registry to track housing complaints, provide medical assistance for housing-related illnesses

It's the latest step in the Army's approach to tackling the privatized housing crisis.

The Air Force’s F-35A may be about to get its first taste of combat
Tech & Tactics

The Air Force’s F-35A may be about to get its first taste of combat

The Air Force's variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to fly combat operations if needed, a defense official said on Monday

Fort Bragg’s new sexual assault awareness event features a soldier chained to a chair in an ‘escape room’
Army

Fort Bragg’s new sexual assault awareness event features a soldier chained to a chair in an ‘escape room’

This seems ... ill-advised

MARSOC Marine dies in training accident
Marine Corps

MARSOC Marine dies in training accident

A member of Marine Corps Special Operations Command died after being involved in a tactical vehicle accident during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton, California on April 13.

Idahoans to the Air Force: please stop secretly using our cities for target practice
Air Force

Idahoans to the Air Force: please stop secretly using our cities for target practice

Idaho residents allege that the Air Force's Urban Close Air Support Air and Ground Training Project endangers the safety of Idahoans by "authoriz[ing] thousands of annual overflights of F-15 military jets, coupled with on-the-ground troop activity within the cities, occurring day and night"

An aging reporter ruminates on covering the military over two decades
Culture

An aging reporter ruminates on covering the military over two decades

If wisdom comes with age, then one thing this reporter has learned from covering troops for years is this: There are no turning points. That means anyone who claims Afghanistan has "turned the corner" or "a dark and painful era" in Iraqi history has ended either doesn't grasp the nature of the post 9/11 wars or is too afraid of failure to tell the truth.

Exclusive: DHS is considering classifying fentanyl as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’
United States

Exclusive: DHS is considering classifying fentanyl as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’

The Department of Homeland Security is considering classifying the painkiller drug fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction "when certain criteria are met," according to an internal memo obtained by Task & Purpose.

Coast Guard arrests Canadian man allegedly sailing with almost 200 gallons of liquid meth
News

Coast Guard arrests Canadian man allegedly sailing with almost 200 gallons of liquid meth

The Coast Guard arrested a Canadian national for allegedly trying to smuggle nearly 200 gallons of liquid methamphetamine.

A veteran shot and killed himself in the waiting room of a Texas VA clinic
Mental Health

A veteran shot and killed himself in the waiting room of a Texas VA clinic

Some patients were unaware that anything was amiss, and in one instance, a group therapy session continued for an hour before the participants realized something was amiss.

Dodge’s new ‘Stars and Stripes’ Chargers and Challengers are tailor-made for the base parking lot
Humor

Dodge’s new ‘Stars and Stripes’ Chargers and Challengers are tailor-made for the base parking lot

When it comes to Challengers and Chargers, Dodge certainly knows where their market is.

The Pentagon will decide by May 10 which military construction projects will be sacrificed for the border wall
Mexico

The Pentagon will decide by May 10 which military construction projects will be sacrificed for the border wall

In just under a month, the Defense Department should have a list of which military construction projects can be delayed in order to transfer $3.6 billion to pay for the border wall, according to a Pentagon memo obtained by Task & Purpose.

Florida Man urges US military intervention in Venezuela
News

Florida Man urges US military intervention in Venezuela

As the United States attempts to extricate itself from three separate conflicts in the Middle East, Florida Sen. Rick Scott would love to see the U.S. military charge headlong into Venezuela's ongoing political crisis

What comes next in the pursuit of Julian Assange
News

What comes next in the pursuit of Julian Assange

Assange is in custody of British authorities, and awaiting trial until May. The U.S. also hopes to extradite him for separate charges

Your next CNO: Adm. Bill Moran nominated to lead the Navy
News

Your next CNO: Adm. Bill Moran nominated to lead the Navy

"Adm. Moran is an extraordinary leader who has been a stalwart partner and advisor," Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said in a statement. "I look forward to working with him in the years ahead when he is confirmed."

The Army is full speed ahead with its powerful new Hellfire missile replacement
Army

The Army is full speed ahead with its powerful new Hellfire missile replacement

The JAGM — intended to replace the AGM-114 Hellfire, AGM-65 Maverick, and BGM-71 TOW air-launched systems — combines both semi-active laser and millimeter wave radar sensor technologies used in two different Hellfire variants

Watch Julian Assange, looking like bearded David Letterman, as he’s arrested outside Ecuador’s embassy
Americas

Watch Julian Assange, looking like bearded David Letterman, as he’s arrested outside Ecuador’s embassy

London police were invited into the embassy at Ecuador's request — Assange finally pissed them off enough.

Navy dropping charges against USS Fitzgerald’s former CO and tactical action officer for collision
Navy

Navy dropping charges against USS Fitzgerald’s former CO and tactical action officer for collision

The Navy's attempts to prosecute Cmdr. Bryce Benson had been rife with problems.

The VA failed to track a vet’s home care appointments. Then his foot became infected, and his leg had to be amputated
Military Life

The VA failed to track a vet’s home care appointments. Then his foot became infected, and his leg had to be amputated

Social workers at an Indianapolis VA hospital were told not to track home care visits with patients, and then a veteran's care went overlooked, his foot became infected, and he had to have it amputated.

You can now score the golden M16 once owned by a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
Air Force

You can now score the golden M16 once owned by a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

Nothing says "I'm the boss here" like a gold-plated firearm