Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 71)

The christening ceremony for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Patrick Gallagher. (photo courtesy U.S. Navy)
History

Navy christens new destroyer named for Navy Cross recipient

The USS Patrick Gallagher honors an Irish citizen turned U.S. Marine who risked his own life to save his comrades in the Vietnam War.

Wind flutters around the peace offerings of tobacco ties that line the fence at the Wounded Knee Memorial on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, on Monday, October 20, 2014. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
History

Pentagon orders review of Medals of Honor given for Wounded Knee Massacre

The military awarded 20 men its highest honor in the 1890s for their role in the incident, where hundreds were killed or injured.

Reward image of dead Marine Peter Chounthala
Marine Corps

$20,000 reward offered for information on people who attacked, ran over Marine

Peter Chounthala was beaten and then killed by a car in Los Angeles County in May. After two months, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is offering a reward for any help in the search.

Two ex-Marines sentenced for terror plot to attack power grid
Marine Corps

Two ex-Marines sentenced for terror plot to attack power grid

The Neo Nazi group, which included several former military members, manufactured unregistered rifles intended to be used to blow up power substations.

Army deployments
Army

Army deploying brigades to Middle East, Europe, South Korea

The Army has announced that three brigades will deploy this fall as part of ongoing rotations

An aircraft maintainer, assigned to 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, prepares to marshal a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, assigned to 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, to takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to support a Bomber Task Force mission, June 29. Bomber Task Force missions provide opportunities to train alongside our allies and partners to build interoperability and bolster our collective ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Nicholas Priest)
Air Force

B-1B crash result of pilot error and ‘culture of noncompliance’

The report blamed the crash on the crew's ineffective teamwork, adverse weather, and a “culture of noncompliance” under unit leadership.

Sgt. Maj. Jim Lanham, sergeant major of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, speaks to Marines during an all-hands formation aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) while underway in the Pacific Ocean, July 26, 2017. Lanham and Col. Tye R. Wallace, commanding officer of the 31st MEU, encouraged the Marines and Sailors of the 31st MEU to continue to act as ambassadors of the Marine Corps. The 31st MEU partners with the Navy’s Amphibious Squadron 11 to form the amphibious component of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group. The 31st MEU and PHIBRON 11 combine to provide a cohesive blue-green team capable of accomplishing a variety of missions across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stormy Mendez/Released)
Veterans

The Million Veteran Program is closing hard-to-fill gaps in DNA research

Research on human genetics seeking cures to diseases had mostly "European" DNA to work with before using a database of veterans.

New U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Abraham Lopez with Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, receives a brief as part of a receiving event at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, July 15, 2024. During the receiving process, recruits are checked for contraband, given a haircut, make a scripted phone call home, and issued their gear required for training. Lopez was recruited out of Recruiting Station Lake County, Illinois. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Francisco Angel)
Humor

Marine recruit arrives at boot camp with glorious mop top

Abraham Lopez had a lot of hair that needed to be shorn when he arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

Soldier smoking from the turret position while writing a letter to his girlfriend.
Military Life

Would vaping help more veterans quit smoking? One group thinks so

The group Smokeless Vets hope to help 100,000 veterans stop smoking. Using nicotine products like vapes and pouches, they think, would help.

14-year-old killed in wall collapse at Robins Air Force Base pool
Air Force

14-year-old killed in wall collapse at Robins Air Force Base pool

Officials said they will not release the names of minors involved in the incident.

Russia China Intercept
Air Force

NORAD sent 3 different fighters to intercept Russian and Chinese bombers

Two F-35s, F-16s, and Canadian CF-18s intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two Chinese PRC H-6 bombers.

U.S. Air Force Sgt. David Price was killed on May 11, 1968.
News

An Airman killed at a secret CIA radar base in Laos is finally recovered

U.S. Air Force Sgt. David Price was killed at Lima Site 85, a secret CIA radar base in Laos which was overrun in a pitched, mountain-top battle. His remains were just identified.

103-year-old WWII veteran finally gets VA benefits 78 years later
World War II

103-year-old WWII veteran finally gets VA benefits 78 years later

Army Technician Third Grade Louis M. Gigliotti was assigned to the Army’s 1-773rd Service Command Unit which handled medical screenings for soldiers before and after their deployment to Europe.

Special Forces Assessment and Selection candidates carrying a log during a team building exercise.
Military Life

Special Forces Assessment and Selection: Everything You Need To Know

The road to being a Green Beret starts with this 24-day course that pushes candidates as far as they can go.

USS Tarawa sunk
Navy

Navy sinks USS Tarawa in latest Pacific SINKEX

An F/A-18-fired anti-ship missile was used to sink the former amphibious assault ship on July 19 during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024.

Lewiston, ME - October 30: A makeshift memorial grows outside of Schemengees Bar & Grille one of two locations where a mass shooting killed 18 people. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Army

Maine mass shooter showed red flags, Army investigation finds

The report highlighted policy gaps, communication pitfalls and missed warning signs that could've caught Sgt. First Class Robert Card's concerning behavior before it turned fatal. The Army took administrative actions against three soldiers for "dereliction of duty."

Kevin DiFalco
Air Force

Air Force drops court-martial against Lt. Col. accused of child sex abuse

Air Force Lt. Col. Kevin DiFalco’s told Task & Purpose he is innocent. He still faces administrative action.

A soldier prepares freeze dried plasma during a military training exercise.
Opinion

Opinion: The urgent need to field dried plasma for large-scale combat operations

Dried plasma was used during WW II and the Korean War, saving thousands of lives. It was banned due to the lack of screening technology for hepatitis contaminated blood. Now, military and veteran researches, doctors, and healthcare workers are calling for the life saving treatment to be re-introduced to the military.

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, move to their objective outside of Utqiagvik, Alaska as part of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Training Center 24-02, Feb. 15, 2024. JPMRC 24-02, executed in Alaska with its world-class training facilities and its harsh Arctic environment, builds Soldiers and leaders into a cohesive team of skilled, tough, alert, and adaptive warriors capable of fighting and winning anywhere in the world. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Brandon Vasquez)
Europe

China, Russia continue push into Arctic as Pentagon updates strategy

The Pentagon released its 2024 Arctic Strategy, which is updated for events like war in Ukraine, and Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

A USS Eisenhower pilot became the first American woman to score air-to-air kill
Navy

A USS Eisenhower pilot became the first American woman to score air-to-air kill

The aviator, part of Strike Fighter Squadron 32, took out a Houthi drone in the Red Sea as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group’s intercept mission.