Memorial Day holds a special place in the heart of the American people. A federal holiday designated with the intent of remembering those men and women who died while serving their country, it stands as the polar opposite of Veteran’s Day. But, Memorial Day wasn’t originally known by its current name, and we’ve been placing […]
May 23 2018
General Opinions of Reenlistment
I’ve spoken a lot recently about reenlistment due to the events of the dinosaur puppet reenlistment in the National Air Guard. But, honestly, while I’m perfectly fine with the events that transpired during that day, it doesn’t mean I’d engage in the same behavior. Personally, throughout my career, I’ve only heard of strange and unusual […]
May 19 2018
Type III – Even the Navy is Getting Woodland Camo
As the Armed Forces take a well-deserved break from nearly twenty years of desert operations, many services are taking the opportunity to adjust their uniform standards. The Army was the first to drop their ACU pattern for OCP, with RUMINT leading us to believe that the Air Force may adopt the pattern as well in […]
May 18 2018
What’s Wrong with Tradition?
Crossing the equator on a US Navy ship during the 1980s was not the horror story that the chiefs talked about from during the 60s and 70s, but it was difficult enough for young sailors away from their homes and families for the first time. I imagine that the young sailors of the 60s and […]
May 17 2018
Reenlistment Ceremony
Reenlistment is one of the most long-time honored traditions in the military. Dating back to the Revolutionary War, it’s still held in high regards to our military history. But, just what is the history of military reenlistment? How did it start, and when exactly did it come about? Were people always able to reenlist or […]
May 16 2018
ABU to OCP? What You Need to Know about the Air Force Uniform Change
Don’t panic. Over the last year, rumors have flown about the Air Force’s potential switch to the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), otherwise commonly referred to as the Multicam uniform that the Army has been wearing for more than a few years now. Finally, the Air Force announced that they would be switching to OCP uniforms […]
May 10 2018
Route Clearance
Boom! “Oh no, he hit it!” I will never forget this scene from my deployment to Northern Afghanistan in 2011. I was a route clearance platoon leader leading the front of a major operation when my lead vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). I’ll never forget watching the front left fender fly straight into […]
May 9 2018
Rank Based Punishments
Captain’s Mast is the name for the Non-Judicial Punishment trial in the Navy. I’ve discussed it in the past and pointed out how it can be ineffective at times in curtailing negative behaviors. But, a topic of discourse amongst the junior personnel in command is how the punishment system is skewed against them. Statistically speaking, […]
May 4 2018
Drug Rings in the Navy
The Navy’s Zero Tolerance policy was instituted by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 amidst a surge of accidents involving the use of drugs. But, this did little to deter the use of drugs during the 80’s despite the mandatory urinalysis testing that took place afterward. Commander George Capen attested to the drug abuse during the […]
Apr 29 2018
Soldier Scientists – the Hidden Conflict Behind the Human Terrain System
Although at its time touted as a new addition to warfare, the Human Terrain System, or HTS, follows a history of the military’s tenuous relationship with social scientists. The subject of anthropology emerged from its relationship with renaissance imperial conquests, continued well into the 20th century with ethnographic research conducted in support of World War […]
