Free Republic

The Lower Merion resident gave President Roosevelt some unpleasant news on the Soviet massacre.Gov. George H. Earle (wearing the spotlight cap) with striking coal miners in 1937 Most people who work for the president of the United States know not to bring him news he doesn’t want to hear. But some just can’t help themselves—and so they suffer the consequences. Take George H. Earle III of Lower Merion, who, in 1944, passed on to Franklin Roosevelt some unpleasant facts about the Soviet Union’s massacre of an estimated 22,000 Polish army officers in 1940. The Soviets had blamed the atrocity...

Landing an aircraft on a moving vessel requires a particular kind of precision and know-how that very few human beings can execute with significant technological support. Believe it or not, one psychological test observed that the stress landing on a carrier causes pilots more stress than what troops experience in combat. No wonder cleanly landing on a carrier is a source of pride for pilots. So F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler pilots are practice landing on the USS Washington (CVN 73) with a fascinating new landing system called Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery...

A military dad was able to join his little girl for a fairy tale tea party in the woods - and the photos of the touching moment have since gone viral. Ashley, 4, and her father, Kevin Porter, 28, who is a U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor, were photographed in Oceanside, California, enjoying a unique tea for two. Two cups of tea and a vase of flowers were set upon a pink lace table cloth, alongside two little chairs, perfect for the touching father and daughter get together.

North Korea, the troglodyte equivalent of a nation state run by a 33 year-old dictator with a penchant for bad haircuts and worse suits, has been an international pariah for decades. Since the fall of the Soviet Bloc in 1991, and a devastating famine between 1995 and 1998, its actions have become more desperate and dangerous. In a never-ending quest for food and fuel aid, it has acted the part of a petulant child, committing increasingly-hostile military provocations which only temporarily diminish when someone provides a handout. The US has tried time-and-again to negotiate with North Korea, to no avail....

Some ailing veterans can now use their federal health care benefits at CVS “MinuteClinics” to treat minor illnesses and injuries, under a pilot program announced Tuesday by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The new program, currently limited to the Phoenix area, comes three years after the VA faced allegations of chronically long wait times at its centers, including its Phoenix VA medical center, which treats about 120,000 veterans. The Phoenix pilot program is a test-run by VA Secretary David Shulkin who is working on a nationwide plan to reduce veterans’ wait times. Veterans would not be bound by current restrictions...

Russia has unveiled a new Arctic military base capable of housing 150 troops as well as nuclear-ready warplanes. The triangular complex, painted in the red, white and blue of the Russia's tricolor flag, has been built in remote Alexandra Land in the Franz Josef Archipelago. While parts of the base remain top secret, military chiefs have offered a glimpse at the interior of the building. It comes as part of Russia's largest Arctic military push since the fall of the Soviet Union and as Moscow moves to lay claim to the region's huge oil and gas reserves - believe to...

We’ve all heard the term “military brat” before. It pertains to those children who grew up in military families. “Brats” wear the name like a badge of honor, often because of the moves, stressors and cultural experiences that make them more resilient than their civilian counterparts.

Early on the morning of April 17, 1863 La Grange, Tennessee Colonel Benjamin H. Grierson, commander of the 1st Brigade of the Cavalry Division, XVI Corps, Army of Tennessee lead ou this Horse Soldiers, his orders included nothing less than an invasion of Mississippi–one of the most daring and successful cavalry raids of the Civil War.

German tanks during World War II were often outmatched by superior Red Army designs beginning with the T-34. Armor, reliability and firepower were all—at various times—serious shortcomings. To counteract the Soviet beasts, Germany rushed ahead with tank destroyers—armored vehicles designed to inflict long-range firepower from concealed positions—but these also had a mixed record. The introduction of the Ferdinand during the 1943 Battle of Kursk turned into a disaster as the vehicles broke down from mechanical failures.

The U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army agree they may have finally found a caseless ammunition design that will work reliably in combat and be much (37 percent) lighter than conventional 5.56mm ammo. Caseless ammo is not a new concept but you need the right materials and right design to make it work. It’s all a matter of getting the right tech and the right design. Back in the 1980s the German firm Dynamit Nobel developed a 4.73mm round that weighed much less than the existing 5.56mm rounds but was similar in effectiveness. The new (at the time) G11 assault...

While military aircraft boneyards are nothing new, the YouTube display of the hulks of some ex-Navy fighters in an undeveloped area of Temple, Texas, may be causing some concerns at the Pentagon. A video has emerged of the scattered remains of two F-14 Tomcats and an F-4 Phantom. The aircraft have been stripped of just about everything that can be carried away but exactly how they ended up on private property is the subject of much online speculation. According to a Google Earth image, there is a scrap metal dealer nearby but the aircraft parts are not in their yard....

Copy these coordinates and plug them into Google Earth for a overall look at what may no longer exist in a few days. 40 01 05.23N,128 09 23.81E

A USS Arizona sailor who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor was laid to rest inside the ship he escaped. The remains of Retired Master Chief Petty Officer Raymond Haerry, 94, were interred inside the hull of the USS Arizona Saturday afternoon. More than 100 people gathered at the USS Arizona Memorial for the interment ceremony -- a symbolic military funeral only offered to shipmates who survived the attack.

The instrumental hymns are, (There is a Fountain Filled with Blood) and the chorus of - (God Be With You, Till We Meet Again), both are accompanied with lyrics.

This is a film about Japan's buildup for WWII and their history of warring against other nations. The US military commissioned Frank Capra to produce this documentary on Japan as an enemy of the free world. It lays out the mindset of the Japanese in effective fashion and has been called propaganda, but much of it is based on historical facts.

An Iraqi military officer says Islamic State militants have launched a gas attack in a newly-liberated area in western Mosul.

Full Title: U.S. Air Force Stages Epic Elephant Walk at Kadena Air Base Japan Amid Growing Tension With North Korea The images in this post show an impressive Elephant Walk carried out by fully armed U.S. Air Force aircraft belonging to the 18th Wing, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. During Elephant Walks military aircraft taxi in close formation right before a minimum interval takeoff. This kind of exercise is often performed at airbases all around the world (including South Korea), to prepare squadrons for wartime operations: what’s important is to test crews capability to quickly and safely prepare fully armed...

Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, oversaw the KPA Tankmen’s Contest-2017. He was greeted on the spot by KPA Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA; KPA Vice Marshal Ri Myong Su, chief of the General Staff of the KPA; Army Colonel General Ri Yong Gil, first deputy chief of the General Staff and director of the General Operations Bureau of the KPA; and Army Colonel General Yun Tong Hyon, vice-minister of...

The US military has dropped an enormous bomb in Afghanistan according to four US military officials with direct knowledge of the mission. A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb — nicknamed the "Mother of All Bombs" (MOAB) — was dropped in at 7 p.m. local time Thursday, sources said.

Made-in-Taiwan rifle parts selling rapidly in US: report Around 1,000 rifles built with Taiwanese-made T91 assault rifle upper receivers sold out fast after being released to the U.S. market, local media reported on Monday. Defense Ministry's Armaments Bureau has signed a contract with U.S. arms importer Wolf Performance Ammunition last year for Taiwanese-made T91 upper receivers, or "uppers," and other parts for the assault rifle to be sold in the U.S, the Chinese-language United Evening News said. The Type 91 is the standard-issue service rifle of the R.O.C. Army. 　　Because local and U.S. laws made it difficult for Taiwan to...