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Military/Veterans (General/Chat)

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  • USS Fitzgerald Combat Team Unaware of Approaching Merchant Ship Until Seconds Before Fatal Collision

    05/13/2018 2:59:41 PM PDT · by Retain Mike · 99 replies
    U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings ^ | May 10, 2018 | :Sam LaGrone
    The sailors who were manning the combat nerve center of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) did not know they were on a collision course with a ship almost three times their size until about one minute before impact, according to new information revealed in the preliminary hearing for two junior officers accused of negligent homicide for their role in the collision that resulted in the death of seven sailors. Lt. Natalie Combs, the tactical action officer, and Lt. Irian Woodley, the surface warfare coordinator, were both on duty in the windowless combat information in the belly of the guided-missile destroyer on early...
  • "What I Saw at the Coup" - Great 15-minute story

    05/13/2018 1:37:12 PM PDT · by GOP Congress · 40 replies
    Western Rifle Shooters blog ^ | 9-11-2012 | Matt Bracken
    Almost six years ago, former Navy Seal and fighter against the Deep State, Matt Bracken, wrote this short story in the form of "confession" by an operative of a coup. This story was written in 2012, shortly before Obama's reelection, and the events of the story are consistent with the era and the events that unfolded in that time period. The name of the story is called "What I Saw at the Coup." This is the BEST story I've ever read that translates the VITAL ROLE of our 2nd Amendment rights to bear arms, particularly to arms such as AR-15's...
  • A Marine explains which state would win if the US declared war on itself

    05/13/2018 4:04:06 AM PDT · by ATOMIC_PUNK · 157 replies
    business insider ^ | Jul. 27, 2015, 11:15 PM | Jon Davis, Quora
    We recently came across the following question on Quora: "If every state of the USA declared war against each other, which would win?" We've published the full answer from Quora user Jon Davis, a Marine veteran who is now a writer and blogger on military, veterans, and Middle Eastern affairs. In Oct. 2014, Davis' answer was optioned by a Hollywood producer for a potential television series. These are the accounts of the Second American Civil War, also known as the Wars of Reunification and the American Warring States Period.
  • Air Superiority Under 2000 Feet: Lessons from Waging Drone Warfare Against ISIL

    05/12/2018 6:35:46 PM PDT · by mrsmith · 39 replies
    War On The Rocks ^ | May 11, 2018 | Pablo Chovil
    During my time in Mosul as a member of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, a remarkably accessible and affordable device arrived on the battlefield. As my battalion helped Iraqi forces retake the city, we encountered some of the first small drones employed in modern conflict... Two events abruptly altered the way Iraq’s most elite ground unit perceived these devices. The first was after the Counter-Terrorism Service escorted advisors from the 82nd Airborne Division to a meeting with an Iraqi Army unit in Mosul proper. During the return to their outpost, the convoy spotted an unidentified...
  • NORAD celebrates its 60th — a look inside "America's Fortress"

    05/11/2018 4:09:40 PM PDT · by MtnClimber · 24 replies
    Colorado Springs Independent ^ | 10 May, 2018 | Matthew Schniper
    NORAD celebrates its 60th this year, and all military parties involved at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station allowed the media "behind the blast doors" for a rare, limited tour on Thursday, May 10. When I say all parties involved, I mean it quickly gets confusing to say who's toiling inside the mountain, between the U.S. forces on site, Canadian allies, and other unnamed groups (for security reasons). The 721st Mission Support Group is technically who hosted us at the alternate strategic command center; remember that in 2008 Peterson Air Force Base took on the primary command center, as it offers...
  • Dr. Bill joins the Marines

    05/11/2018 11:44:40 AM PDT · by pabianice · 17 replies
    YouTube ^ | 5/18 | Speilberg
    After his son is killed in Afghanistan, the father joins the US Navy Medical Corps.
  • Antony Beevor says Arnhem was a military disaster doomed from the start to be mission [tr]

    05/11/2018 5:30:09 AM PDT · by C19fan · 16 replies
    UK Daiky Mail ^ | May 11, 2018 | Tony Rennell
    Every time a paratrooper in Britain’s airborne regiments goes to the stores to pick up his parachute as a prelude to going into action, it’s handed over with the same old corny gallows-humour banter — ‘Bring it back if it doesn’t work and we’ll exchange it.’ You could apply the same logic to the Parachute Regiment’s most famous World War II mission: the abortive attempt to capture from the Germans the bridge over the Rhine at the town of Arnhem in the north-east of the Netherlands in the autumn of 1944. It spectacularly did not work — and, once it...
  • VIDEO: Israeli Missile Destroys Russian-Made Missile Defense System

    05/10/2018 12:40:42 PM PDT · by C19fan · 30 replies
    PJ Media ^ | May 10, 2018 | David Steinberg
    The Twitter account representing the Israeli Defense Forces, @IDFSpokesperson, posted a stunning video of an Israeli missile descending towards an SA22 Greyhound short range air defense system. According to Military Today, the SA22 is capable of shooting down cruise missiles and guided bombs. This one wasn't.
  • Report finds multiple failures leading to Niger attack.

    05/10/2018 11:50:52 AM PDT · by Midwesterner53 · 6 replies
    www.washingtonexaminer.com ^ | May 10, 2018 | Associated Press
    The 2017 Niger ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers was the result of “individual, organizational and institutional failures," according to a new report from the Pentagon. The eight-page summary released by the Department of Defense on Thursday detailed the findings leading up to and during the ambush and made recommendations to improve guidance for the planning and approval of military operations. Those recommendations included a full review of equipment requirements and improving coordination with forces from U.S. allies. During a press conference with reporters Thursday, Army Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier, the lead investigating officer, praised the heroic actions of the...
  • US Army gets even deadlier with futuristic new night vision goggles

    05/10/2018 11:16:30 AM PDT · by BenLurkin · 27 replies
    Fox News ^ | Allison Barrie
    Imagine if U.S. soldiers could shoot with precision from behind the safety of cover without exposure to enemy bullets? What if soldiers could literally shoot from the hip, on the fly, with absolute precision? American soldiers will be able to do all this – and more – thanks to an exciting new technology. Going forward, enemies of the United States will have to face nearly $100 million-worth of futuristic devices that will allow U.S. soldiers to see in the battlespace in ways enemy forces cannot. In a way, American soldiers will be able to see what their rifle “sees.” ,,,...
  • Special Operators Predict AC-130J Will Be 'Most Requested' Aircraft

    05/10/2018 7:08:44 AM PDT · by MtnClimber · 43 replies
    Military.com ^ | 9May, 2018 | Oriana Pawlyk
    HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- "That's the sound America makes when she's angry." That's how Col. Tom Palenske, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing, characterized the AC-130 gunship after two aircraft fired hundreds of rounds from their 40mm and 105mm cannons and 25mm Gatling gun in the skies above A-77, a range specially made for target practice. Palenske, also the installation commander here, says crews can't wait for the next best thing: the AC-130J Ghostrider. "It's going to be awesome. It's our big gun truck. It's going to have more powerful engines, a more efficient fuel rate, and also has...
  • Paul Newman was determined to help veterans in need, says close friend

    05/09/2018 10:04:30 AM PDT · by jazusamo · 26 replies
    Fox News ^ | May 9, 2018 | Stephanie Nolasco
    Paul Newman may be celebrated as one of most iconic movie stars of the 20th century, but one of the achievements the actor was most proud of was helping others when cameras weren’t rolling. Newman passed away in 2008 at age 83, but his legacy in giving back lives on. In October 2017, Newman’s Own Foundation (NOF), the nonprofit founded by the screen legend, announced they were committing $6.7 million in grants to veterans organizations. Bob Forrester, President and CEO of NOF, told Fox News it’s a decision his beloved friend would have applauded. NOF launched 35 years ago, in...
  • The Battle of the Coral Sea

    05/08/2018 4:22:18 PM PDT · by Jacquerie · 38 replies
    Warfare History Network ^ | September 15th 2016 | John Wukovits
    World War II was less than six months old when the American public, already stunned by the debacles at Pearl Harbor and Guam, faced one of its darkest moments. Thousands of miles across the Pacific, the American commander in the Philippines, Maj. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, surrendered to the Japanese. But the tides of war often turn dramatically. Within 72 hours, American ships, planes, and sheer guts would turn gloom and despair into optimism and hope in a little-known portion of the South Pacific. The naval encounter in the Coral Sea, the lustrous waters bordering Australia’s northeast coast, would knock the...
  • The Vineyard Where Retired French Soldiers Make Wine

    05/08/2018 4:20:27 PM PDT · by VanShuyten · 12 replies
    Atlas Obscura ^ | May 02, 2018 | Alexis Steinman
    “Tu n’abandonnes jamais les tiens, ni au combat, ni dans la vie.” These words grace the back label of Esprit de Corps Grand Cuvée, a Vermentino from Côtes de Provence Sainte–Victoire. It means, “You never abandon your own, not in combat, nor in life.” The phrase references Article VII of the French Foreign Legion’s Code of Honor, which is a hint at the bottle’s unlikely provenance: a retirement home for former legionnaires. Nestled in postcard-perfect vineyards in Provence, the Domaine du Capitaine Danjou winery is the antithesis of abandonment. It provides lodging, purpose, and, most importantly, brotherhood. Leave it to...
  • The U.S. Army Is Rushing to Field Drone-Killing Stryker Armored Vehicles

    05/08/2018 7:51:35 AM PDT · by C19fan · 16 replies
    Popular Mechanics ^ | May 7, 2018 | Kyle Mizokami
    The U.S. Army has taken note of the explosion of cheap, unmanned drones on the modern battlefield and is working to field a variant of the Stryker armored vehicle to shoot them down. The new variant will go to brigade combat teams fielding the Stryker vehicle, including an armored cavalry regiment in Europe. The Stryker interim armored vehicle (IAV) is an eight wheeled armored fighting vehicle that carries up to nine infantrymen into battle. The Stryker is equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun, TOW anti-tank missiles, or a 105-millimeter gun system. At 18 tons the Stryker is on the...
  • Pit bulls attack service dog in DeLeon Springs; 1 shot dead

    05/07/2018 2:24:51 PM PDT · by Norski · 64 replies
    Daytona Beach News-Journal ^ | May 7, 2018 | Patricio G. Balona
    “I have an emergency,” the woman said. “The dogs attacked. I have a shepherd, my husband’s PTSD service dog.”
  • Pinfire Revolver

    05/06/2018 7:59:11 PM PDT · by Tucsonican · 14 replies
    Self | 5/6/18 | Vanity
    I was cleaning out a client's closet today and noticed a small pistol grip sticking out of a rag. Inside was a small revolver with a folding trigger and a hammer that looked, at first glance, as if it belonged on a percussion cap piece. After a little more looking it became obvious that it was a pinfire revolver. The cylinder is stamped "The Savety American Model 1879". On the right side it's got marks consisting of an "S" inside a circle and what may be an "L". Here's the pics -
  • Here’s The F-22 Production Restart Study The USAF Has Kept Secret For Over A Year

    05/05/2018 3:02:59 PM PDT · by PIF · 55 replies
    The War Zone ^ | May 4, 2018 | By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick
    We finally see the study that was oddly classified on arrival and it has new relevance based on Japan's desire for a new stealth fighter. Finally, in early 2016, the debate surrounding the need for more F-22s came to a head and study was mandated by Congress for the USAF to research what putting the super-fighter back into production would take. That study was finished in late 2016 with some of its findings openly discussed, but the document itself remained classified, until now. Snip The total procurement cost would be between $40 and $42 billion, with the entire program costing...
  • US Military Bans Huawei, ZTE Phones

    05/05/2018 6:40:37 AM PDT · by Enlightened1 · 16 replies
    AFP via Yahoo Finance ^ | 05/05/18 | Jim Hoft
    Washington (AFP) - Personnel on US military bases can no longer buy phones and other gear manufactured by Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE, after the Pentagon said the devices pose an "unacceptable" security risk. Concerns have heightened at the Pentagon about consumer electronics being used to snoop on or track service members. "Huawei and ZTE devices may pose an unacceptable risk to (military) personnel, information and mission," Pentagon spokesman Major Dave Eastburn said on Friday. "In light of this information, it was not prudent for the Department's exchanges to continue selling them," he added, referring to the military-run shops on...
  • US Navy re-establishes Second Fleet amid Russian tensions

    05/04/2018 5:44:29 PM PDT · by buckalfa · 12 replies
    CNN ^ | May 4th, 2018 | Ryan Browne
    Washington (CNN)Amid heightened tensions with Russia, the US Navy announced Friday the re-establishment of the US Second Fleet which will be responsible for Naval forces along the East Coast and in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The areas are seen as critical to counter the rising threat of Russia and the new US defense strategy that focuses more on great power rivalry, according to multiple US defense officials.