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Task & Purpose. News, culture, and analysis by and for the military community.

Capers Ripley Dockery 2026
Marine Corps

Three officers who overcame desperate odds receive Medals of Honor

Two Marines who served heroically in Vietnam and an Army officer who used his body to shield a soldier in Afghanistan received the award.

Guinness World Records
Air Force

This Air Force officer has set 17 Guinness World Records — so far

Air Force Maj. Johnny Cruz Buckingham, a former tanker pilot, raises money for children’s programs by attempting to set new Guinness World Records.

Medal of Honor Roddie Edmonds
Army

Soldier who shielded Jewish POWs from guards will receive Medal of Honor

Ordered at gunpoint to separate Jewish soldiers from other POWs, Army Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds called a full formation of Americans and told a German commander: “We are all Jews.”

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USS Juneau
Navy

This is the moment the Navy’s USS Juneau was sunk in the name of training

The decommissioned amphibious transport dock was sunk on June 27, more than 200 nautical miles off the coast of Guam as part of a military exercise.

Right: Terry McIntosh, kneeling, with retired Lt. Col. Al Kittredge at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in June 2026. Left: An undated photo of McIntosh during his time in the Army.
Army

At 18, he fought with Green Berets in Vietnam. Now, he finally has his Special Forces tab.

At 18 in Vietnam, Terry McIntosh fought as a Special Forces soldier, though it wasn’t until this year that his service as a Green Beret was officially recognized.

A U.S. Army Soldier with the Army Marksmanship Unit conducting rifle drills with the XM8 at Fort Benning, Georgia in February 2026. (Photo by U.S. Army)
Army

Army says M7 ‘production line has changed to the XM8’ carbine

Although the Army has not purchased any M7 rifles since October, future purchases remain “pre-decisional,” an Army spokesperson said.

Ranger students with class 26-03 complete various obstacles at the Malvesti Obstacle Course Jan. 06, 2026, at Camp Rogers, on Fort Benning, Georgia. The Obstacle Course is conducted during the first phase of U.S. Army Ranger School known as the Darby phase. (U.S. Army photo by Daniel Marble)
Army

Men at Ranger School face greater hormonal changes than women, study finds

“An elite warfighter is an elite war fighter. It doesn’t matter what your sex is,” said the study’s lead researcher.

Marine Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco.
Marine Corps

Marine lost at sea identified as 21-year-old infantryman from Minnesota

Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco, 21, of Minnesota, was declared dead on June 27 after being reported missing while serving aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage.

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing, board a C-17 Globemaster III in support of Venezuela’s disaster relief response at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, June 27, 2026. At the direction of U.S. Southern Command, assigned U.S. military forces are supporting Department of State-led U.S. disaster assistance to the people of Venezuela in the aftermath of the June 24, 2026, earthquakes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Michael Hong)
Air Force

This is what an Air Force Contingency Response Element does

A team of roughly 100 airmen deployed to Venezuela after the earthquakes to restart airfield operations.

From left, U.S. Army Sgt. Andrew Guthrie, Spc. Terrance Echols, Spc. Charles Wheaton, and Pfc. Labrannon Hughes, all assigned to 890th Engineer Battalion, Mississippi National Guard, Joint Task Force Magnolia, patrol in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., June 10, 2026. Approximately 3,000 National Guard members support the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department and community partners to enhance safety and quality of life throughout the District. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Christian Brown) 
National Guard

DC reaches settlement with man who played ‘Star Wars’ music at troops 

Sam O’Hara said he was detained last year for following a National Guard patrol and playing the “Imperial March” at them.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) steams alongside Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) before a replenishment-at-sea while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Jan. 8, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo) 
Navy

Refueling ship to get Presidential Unit Citation

The USNS Kanawha supported military operations in the Caribbean and in Operation Epic Fury.

U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft maneuver after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility May 23, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt Tiffany A. Emery)
Iran

US strikes Iranian drone, missile sites after cargo ship attack

“The U.S. military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect.”

An Air Force OA-1K Skyraider II made an emergency landing in October 2025, skiding across an Oklahoma intersection, embedding a stop sign in the wing.
Air Force

An Air Force special operations prop plane crashed after pilot turned off fuel

The pilot was an experienced special operations flyer but was new to the tiny Skyraider II and flying with an instructor.

U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Kevin Jarrard, the commanding general of 4th Marine Division, speaks to Marines with 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, 4th Marine Division, participating in sustainment jumps during exercise UNITAS 2025, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune at North Carolina, Sept. 20, 2025. UNITAS, which is Latin for “unity,” was conceived in 1959 and has taken place annually since first conducted in 1960. This year marks the 66th iteration of the world’s longest running annual multinational maritime exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Payton Goodrich)  
Americas

US sends warships, planes and Marine general to Venezuela after earthquakes

The first wave of relief forces, led by Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarrard, arrived overnight.

260516-N-EE423-1351 NORFOLK, Va. — A U.S. Navy Sailor assigned to the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), hugs family members on the pier at Naval Station Norfolk, May 16, 2026, following a historic 11-month deployment to U.S. 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Fleets as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. Before returning to Norfolk after 326 days, the Gerald R. Ford crew conducted 23 replenishments-at-sea and sailed over 57,713 nautical miles. Embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 logged more than 5,760 flight hours and 12,200 flight launches. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sophie Pinkham)
United States

Red Hill families to split $17 million in latest water contamination settlement

Department of Justice officials said they have settled with 3,600 people over the Red Hill spill so far with hundreds more at various stages in the process.

The Army wants a 'heavy' version of its Infantry Squad Vehicle to carry enough batteries and generators to charge drone batteries, power communications equipment and even run directed energy weapons.
Army

The Army wants a ‘Heavy’ Infantry Squad Vehicle to use as a battery on wheels

National Guard units are now adopting the once-troubled truck, just as the Army is beginning to look for an electric “heavy” version.

Venezuela
Americas

US military helping plan Venezuela earthquake relief

U.S. Southern Command is working with the State Department as part of the American government’s efforts to help Venezuela following two major earthquakes.

USS Indianapolis
Navy

Fire breaks out aboard USS Indianapolis, leaving 7 with minor injuries

Seven shipboard personnel were evaluated at local hospitals for minor injuries and cleared to return to the ship on Wednesday, a Navy spokesperson said.

Marines
Marine Corps

Marines had multiple firefights while defending US embassy in Haiti, commander says

“There were multiple engagements at the embassy in Haiti, in which we received and returned fire,” said Col. Tom “Banshee” Trimble, who led the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

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Tech & Tactics

A U.S. Sailor signals the launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 37, from the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
News

AI is meant to speed up ‘kill chain,’ not control it, commanders say

Air Force

Air Force relocates recon drone squadron to Japan

Drones

Ukraine is shredding Russian supply lines. The US should pay attention

Iran

The US would need at least 1,200 troops to take Kharg Island, experts say

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Task & Purpose was founded in 2014 to cover the military and veteran community from a rank-and-file perspective, and continues to do so with accurate reporting and great storytelling to this day. Our journalists have reported on the front lines of the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota and the war in Afghanistan. We’ve uncovered American veterans being abused in Kuwaiti prisons, deported veterans being forced to work for Mexican cartels, and drawn national attention to a longstanding legal rule barring service members from suing the government — even in the face of gross negligence.

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