Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 473)

Army

The Army is practicing firing artillery from boats for the first time since the Vietnam War

A Virginia Army National Guard unit travelled to the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in late April for a relatively unusual training exercise: firing a howitzer from a landing craft in the Army's first waterborne artillery mission since the Vietnam War and this particular unit's first waterborne artillery mission since the D-Day landings nearly 75 years ago

Army

Soldier survives 70-foot fall into one of the world’s ‘most active’ volcanoes

The local fire chief said he's doing "remarkably well" for what happened.

News

Military sexual assaults have reached a four-year high as the Pentagon downplays its failures

The Pentagon's estimate of the number of U.S. service members who were sexually assaulted rose 37.5 percent from 14,900 in fiscal 2016 to 20,500 in fiscal 2018

Army

An Army ROTC cadet sacrificed his life to save his fellow classmates during the UNC Charlotte shooting

When a gunman opened fire on the campus of University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday, Army ROTC cadet Riley Howell sprang into action

Army

15 years after her Blackhawk was shot down, Tammy Duckworth finds an Iraq ‘on the precipice’

Duckworth — a former Army Lt. Col. and Blackhawk pilot, and current Democratic senator from Illinois — was shot down in Iraq in 2004. When she woke up, she'd lost both of her legs.

Army

Watch a Green Beret testify on how the military botched his cancer diagnosis

An Army Green Beret discusses how military care providers failed to diagnosis his lung cancer, and the Supreme Court precedent that bars him from suing.

Army

The Army’s up-armored Strykers are now getting extra firepower to match

After testing out a batch of brand new upgunned Stryker infantry fighting vehicles with outfitted 30mm autocannons in Europe, the Army is looking to extend the extra-lethal unmanned weapon system to its existing fleet of up-armored battlewagons

Afghanistan

The Pentagon is ending a training program for Afghan pilots after nearly half go AWOL in the US

The U.S. military may no longer track how much territory the Afghan government controls, but here's at least one definite metric of success

News

White House wants another $377 million to pay for active-duty and National Guard troops on the border

About 2,900 active-duty and 2,000 National Guardsmen are currently deployed to the border as part of a mission that is now called Operation Guardian Support.

Army

Former Green Berets get 9 years in jail for trying to bring 40 kilos of Colombian bam bam into the US

They tried bringing in almost $1 million worth of cocaine through gutted punching bags.

United States

A new bill in Congress could finally allow troops to sue the military in cases of medical malpractice

The legislation would allow service members and their families to sue the government when a member of the military is a victim of military medical malpractice.

News

The next Marine Commandant says another gender-integrated boot camp class could happen in 2020

"Although the previous decision was made by leadership in support of training efficiency, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island will continue to assess the results of India Company's training and future opportunities that may permit this company training model."

Stealth

The high-tech stealth F-35A made its combat debut against… a cave

Better late than never.

United States

‘My trust is completely broken’ — Victims of military medical malpractice testify before Congress on the Feres Doctrine

Members of Congress on Tuesday heard directly from victims of military medical malpractice who are barred from suing the government due to a decades-old Supreme Court precedent known as the Feres Doctrine.

News

Roughly 320 US troops are deploying to the border as caterers, drivers, and lawyers

"In any situation that requires DoD personnel to be in proximity to migrants, DHS [Department of Homeland Security] law enforcement personnel will be present to conduct all custodial and law enforcement functions, and provide force protection of military personnel."

Entertainment

Corps investigating Marine for sending boot swastika photo to ‘Terminal Lance’ creator

"There is no place for racial hatred or extremism in the Marine Corps. The Terminal Lance tweet featuring derogatory behavior by Marines is currently being investigated."

Marine Corps

Rep. Seth Moulton says US would be ‘no better friend, no worse enemy’ if he’s elected president

"I think our motto as a country should be the same motto we had in the 1st Marine Division: No better friend, no worse enemy."

Afghanistan

Afghanistan in 2019: This is what losing looks like

"The Afghan people know which districts are controlled by the Taliban. The Taliban obviously know which districts they control. Our military knows it. Everybody in Afghanistan knows. The only people who don't know what's going on are people who are paying for all of this, and that's the American taxpayer."

Middle East

US service member dies in fourth non-combat fatality in 2 weeks

Another U.S. service member has died in a non-combat incident, the Pentagon announced on Monday, the fourth such fatality in 10 days

Marine Corps

Hundreds of strangers turned up to honor a WWII Marine Raider’s funeral

Last week, hundreds of people traveled to Shrub Oak, New York to attend the funeral of Robert Graham, a 97-year-old veteran who served in the Pacific as a Marine Raider during World War II.