Read the latest articles from Task & Purpose (Page 86)

Army

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.

Marine Corps

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.

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

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

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.

Navy

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.

Air Force

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

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 Corps

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.

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.

Education

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.

Army

Army CID offers $10,000 reward for stolen HMMWV doors that no one likes

Several Humvee doors have inexplicably gone missing at Fort Liberty. Now Army investigators are hoping a large reward can uncover them.

News

Security tightened at military bases following New Orleans, Las Vegas attacks

U.S. Northern Command suspended the Trusted Traveler Program for all bases in its area of responsibility and ordered 100% identification checks.

Army

Special Forces soldier behind Las Vegas bombing said he carried ‘burden’ of lost friends

The FBI said that Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger wrote in a letter: "I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.”

Entertainment

Denis Leary based his new military character on a lifelong interest in Gen. George Patton

Denis Leary has long studied Gen. Patton and wanted to bring a comedic twist to the veteran’s “sort of vanity,” “ego,” and “that sort of self-importance” as a reference point.

The Pentagon Rundown

Conspiracy theories about suspects’ military service run rampant after New Year’s Day violence

Investigators suspect that an Army veteran drove a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans. Separately, a Green Beret is the suspect in a truck explosion in Las Vegas.

Army

These 2 soldiers will receive the Medal of Honor for their heroism in Vietnam

Army Pfc. Kenneth J. David and Capt. Hugh R. Nelson Jr. will receive the Medal of Honor. Nelson’s award will be posthumous.

Army

Five Korean War vets to receive Medal of Honor including Fort Cavazos namesake

Five Korean War veterans, including Gen. Richard E. Cavazos will be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously Jan. 3, 2025.

Army

Driver of Cybertruck in Las Vegas explosion was a Special Forces soldier, Army confirms

Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, an active duty Green Beret for almost 20 years, shot himself just before the truck exploded outside a Trump hotel, police said.

Army

Here is the military service record for the New Orleans attack suspect

Shamsud-Din Jabbar served in the U.S. Army between 2007 to 2020, after briefly being in the Navy's delayed entry program, but he never went to Navy boot camp.