features Archives - Task & Purpose

By Haley Britzky Oct 29, 2020

News

The Army repeatedly screwed this combat veteran. Now he’s being kicked out of the service — again

"Looking at all the facts and circumstances, he’s suffered quite enough"

By Oriana Pawlyk, Military.com Jun 17, 2020

Analysis

After fatal jet crash, the pilots were blamed. Then the Air Force banned the flight maneuver

Prior to this crash, Air Force leaders had already debated ending these sometimes-dangerous formation landings and training — and some...

By Joshua Sharpe, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Mar 4, 2020

News

A lie sent three soldiers to prison for 25 years. Will lawmakers help make them whole again?

When the old soldiers walked free, they knew it wasn’t the end

By Jimmy Tomlin, The High Point Enterprise Dec 16, 2019

Community

PTSD nearly killed him. Now this former Marine is using it to help other veterans

Bobby Grey's a former Marine, 2003 to 2007 — a mission that has given him great pride and great anguish....

By Anna Orso, The Philadelphia Inquirer Dec 16, 2019

News

His son died fighting the Taliban. The Afghanistan Papers confirmed what one Gold Star father already knew

It's been more than eight years since his son, Navy Petty Officer First Class Michael J. Strange, was killed alongside...

By Paul Szoldra Dec 4, 2019

Analysis

An internal investigation spurred by a nude photo scandal shows just how deep sexism runs in the Marine Corps

The scandal, researchers found, was merely a symptom of a much larger problem.

By Reuters Staff Nov 25, 2019

News

‘Time to take out our swords’ — Inside Iran’s plot to attack Saudi Arabia

Four months before a swarm of drones and missiles crippled the world's biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, Iranian...

By Megan Rose, ProPublica Nov 20, 2019

News

Blame over justice: the human toll of the Navy’s relentless push to punish one of its own

Navy Cmdr. Bryce Benson was in charge of the USS Fitzgerald during the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer's 2017 collision...

By David Roza Nov 6, 2019

News

‘A huge morale hit’ — Army EOD techs are stuck between plummeting recruitment levels and skyrocketing workloads

"Something needs to change, because I don't think we have enough manpower for the workload."

By Francis X. Donnelly, The Detroit News Sep 25, 2019

History

50 years later, an Army widow met the Viet Cong soldier who was involved in her husband’s death

"It was a million to one shot ... we would find this VC soldier, still alive, still in the same...

By Mike Newall, The Philadelphia Inquirer Sep 24, 2019

Community

A stray bullet cost a Philly rugby star his Army dreams. Then the brass read his story

After a grueling fight to get his strength back and return to the rugby pitch, Nasair Boston-Epps was rejected when...

By Lisa Richwine, Reuters Sep 20, 2019

Mandatory Fun

It has begun: Alien enthusiasts are descending on the Nevada desert to ‘storm’ Area 51

UFO enthusiasts began descending on rural Nevada on Thursday near the secret U.S. military installation known as Area 51, long...

By Haley Britzky Sep 9, 2019

Leadership

This former Ranger was just nominated to be the next Secretary of the Army

"He deeply loves the Army," Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

By Jared Keller Aug 10, 2019

Entertainment

How Hollywood hubris turned ‘The Code’ into the worst military TV series in recent memory

When CBS announced that it picked up The Code in 2018, the network clearly thought it had the next JAG...

By Selene San Felice, The Capital Jul 23, 2019

Community

Meet the married Navy vets who made it their life mission to expose stolen valor

When Don and Diane Shipley find out someone claims to be a Navy SEAL or POW, they won't just take...

By Megan Rose, Robert Faturechi, and T. Christian Miller, ProPublica Jun 28, 2019

Analysis

Trump keeps talking about the last US military standoff with Iran. Here’s what really happened

Trump's repeated claims about the captured sailors – Obama's weakness; that the money was improper – obscure the more troubling...

By Tara Copp, McClatchy Washington Bureau May 15, 2019

News

Immigrant service members are now denied US citizenship at a higher rate than civilians

Immigrants serving in the U.S. military are being denied citizenship at a higher rate than foreign-born civilians, according to new...

By Ryan Pickrell, Business Insider May 1, 2019

News

The Navy is sending its most powerful amphibious assault ship to the Pacific

The Navy is bringing increased strike power to U.S. forces in the Pacific with a new deployment

By Cindy Clayton, The Virginian-Pilot Apr 23, 2019

History

The untold story of the men who died in the USS Saturn inferno — and why the Navy’s inquiry remained classified for decades

A new investigation of into the 1944 blaze that left 15 dead at Norfolk Naval Yard indicates that workers died...

By Robert Faturechi And T. Christian Miller, Propublica Apr 11, 2019

News

How the Navy’s top commander botched the service’s highest-profile investigation in years

A ProPublica examination of the cases based on confidential Navy documents, emails among top officials, court records and interviews shows...

By Richard Sisk, Military.com Apr 5, 2019

News

‘The night is ours’ — Inside the elite world of Coast Guard ship-boarding teams

The Coast Guard's little-known Maritime Security Response Teams is the closest the Department of Homeland Security-owned service gets to military...

By Patricia Kime, Military.com Mar 25, 2019

Health & Fitness

A 69-year-old policy keeps troops from suing the US for medical malpractice. It’s closer to being overturned than ever before

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether to hear a petition from a family prohibited from suing for medical malpractice,...

By Jared Keller Mar 5, 2019

Community

The incredible true story of how a Navy challenge coin saved this Oklahoma police officer’s life

On July 3rd, 2018, the lives of two Tulsa police officers, a Navy reservist and a civilian, became inexorably entwined...

By Caitlin Foster, Business Insider Jan 31, 2019

History

5 Medal Of Honor Recipients Who Helped Turn The Tide Of Vietnam’s Brutal Battle Of Hue City

The Tet Offensive began on January 30 as the North Vietnamese occupied the city of Hue. U.S. Marines spent nearly...

By James Clark Nov 16, 2018

Analysis

‘It’s A Scandal’ — Inside The Fight To Hold The Military Accountable For Medical Malpractice

“I feel like my life has been stolen from me because people failed to do their job," said Army Sgt....

features

News

Featured in features

The Army repeatedly screwed this combat veteran. Now he’s being kicked out of the service — again

After fatal jet crash, the pilots were blamed. Then the Air Force banned the flight maneuver

A lie sent three soldiers to prison for 25 years. Will lawmakers help make them whole again?

PTSD nearly killed him. Now this former Marine is using it to help ​other veterans

His son died fighting the Taliban. The Afghanistan Papers confirmed what one Gold Star father already knew

An internal investigation spurred by a nude photo scandal shows just how deep sexism runs in the Marine Corps

‘Time to take out our swords’ — Inside Iran’s plot to attack Saudi Arabia

Blame over justice: the human toll of the Navy’s relentless push to punish one of its own

‘A huge morale hit’ — Army EOD techs are stuck between plummeting recruitment levels and skyrocketing workloads

50 years later, an Army widow met the Viet Cong soldier who was involved in her husband’s death

A stray bullet cost a Philly rugby star his Army dreams. Then the brass read his story

It has begun: Alien enthusiasts are descending on the Nevada desert to ‘storm’ Area 51

This former Ranger was just nominated to be the next Secretary of the Army

How Hollywood hubris turned ‘The Code’ into the worst military TV series in recent memory

Meet the married Navy vets who made it their life mission to expose stolen valor

Trump keeps talking about the last US military standoff with Iran. Here’s what really happened

Immigrant service members are now denied US citizenship at a higher rate than civilians

The Navy is sending its most powerful amphibious assault ship to the Pacific

The untold story of the men who died in the USS Saturn inferno — and why the Navy’s inquiry remained classified for decades

How the Navy’s top commander botched the service’s highest-profile investigation in years

‘The night is ours’ — Inside the elite world of Coast Guard ship-boarding teams

A 69-year-old policy keeps troops from suing the US for medical malpractice. It’s closer to being overturned than ever before

The incredible true story of how a Navy challenge coin saved this Oklahoma police officer’s life

5 Medal Of Honor Recipients Who Helped Turn The Tide Of Vietnam’s Brutal Battle Of Hue City

‘It’s A Scandal’ — Inside The Fight To Hold The Military Accountable For Medical Malpractice

PTSD nearly killed him. Now this former Marine is using it to help other veterans