Matthew Modine Turned Down ‘Top Gun’ for ‘Full Metal Jacket’
Top Gun (1986) was among the most popular films of the 1980s, and it’s just one of the few box office hits Matthew Modine didn’t…
The Polish 1st Armoured Division Served As the ‘Cork’ of the Falaise Pocket
Nicknamed the “Black Devils” by the German military, the Polish 1st Armoured Division was created in the middle of the Second World War. Working with…
Frank Fiegel: The Real-Life Popeye Wasn’t a Sailor Man (or in the Military)
When E.C. Segar began his career as a cartoonist, he took inspiration from those around him. His most popular character, Popeye the Sailor Man, was…
The German Flammenwerfer Forever Changed Warfare – And Not for the Better
For centuries, militaries tried to harness the ability to command fire. There were various methods used, but the flammenwerfer models developed by the German Army…
Val Kilmer Accidentally Landed Matthew Modine the Starring Role in ‘Full Metal Jacket’
Full Metal Jacket (1987) was one of director Stanley Kubrick’s masterpieces. It follows a young Marine during the Vietnam War who experiences the struggles of…
Despite Being Prone to Crashing, the Loach Helicopter Was Favored By Pilots In Vietnam
The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse was a revolutionary rotorcraft operated during the Vietnam War. Adopted after the company behind its design deceived the US Army, the…
After 80 Years, the Fate Of the USS Cythera (PY-26) and Her Crew Still Remains a Mystery
The USS Cythera (PY-26) has several distinctions. She started out life as a civilian yacht before being acquired by the US Navy, and later went on…
How Did An A-10 Warthog Wind Up With A Cow Kill Marking?
Among the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs operated by the US Air Force, there’s one that stands out from the rest. The reason? Among its…
The Soviet Maxim-Tokarev Light Machine Gun Outperformed The Classic PM M1910
The Maxim-Tokarev was the first ever domestically mass-produced light machine gun of its kind. Born off the back of the reliable PM M1910, it became…
Andrew Bundermann’s Expert Leadership Saved the Lives of Many Stationed at COP Keating
Andrew Bundermann had to tap into everything he knew about battle when the Taliban led a 400-man attack against his position at COP Keating in…
Human Shadows Left Etched In Stone By the Atomic Bombs Dropped On Japan
There were many scars left behind in Japan after the Americans dropped the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The explosions had lasting effects on…
The US Air Force Lost a Mark 15 Nuclear Bomb Off the Coast of Tybee Island
Somewhere in the waters off Tybee Island, near the population hub of Savannah, Georgia, lies a Mark 15 nuclear bomb that was dropped by US…