No one can argue that Toyota vehicles are dependable, affordable, and abundant. But ask any veteran of the last 50 years and they’ll tell you these Japanese automobiles are vehicles of war. In fact, there was even a Toyota War fought in the late ’80s between Libya and Chad, named thus for the Toyota Hilux … Lire la suite

IN APRIL 1944, the United States War Department was consumed with thoughts of France. Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, was only weeks away, and American and British war planners were enmeshed in the details of executing the world’s largest amphibious invasion. While Washington and London’s attentions were focused on Overlord, a little-noticed decision made … Lire la suite

Belarus has reportedly banned the sale of the book “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” effective May 19. But why would a book about a chronically depressed, chain-smoking bureaucrat in a fictional country strike such fear into totalitarian governments? And how did such a novel come about in the wake of the Spanish Civil War and World War II? … Lire la suite

On a baby-blue sky fall afternoon, Richard Clem and I stand among the remains of cornstalks in a field on the old Otho J. Smith Farm near the Antietam battleground. The South Mountain range stretches across the horizon to the east; roughly 350 yards away stand large, modern farm buildings. A hint of cow manure … Lire la suite

In 1966, the Airborne Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, or ARVN, was formed with 12,000 troops. An elite unit, it conducted airborne assaults and airmobile operations throughout the war. Known for their distinctive red beret, called “Mu Do” in Vietnamese, the South Vietnamese airborne troops were assisted by U.S. advisers with … Lire la suite

Are we alone? Are we living in a real “Twilight Zone?”   Up until recently, UFO chasers and alien enthusiasts may have received a polite nod from their fellow man followed by a swift shuffle away.  However, ufologists suddenly enjoyed newfound legitimacy in 2017 when news broke about the existence of a secret Pentagon program to … Lire la suite

On March 26, 1351, in the Duchy of Brittany in western France, two teams of knights, squires and men-at-arms faced off across a field midway between Josselin and Ploërmel castles. Though it was springtime and far from the dog days of summer, sweat streamed down the faces of those assembled. From either side men clad … Lire la suite

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the leaders of Finland and Sweden announced their official move to apply to join NATO. The Sunday announcement “changes decades of Finnish policy toward the Cold War-era military alliance and it upends more than two centuries of Swedish policy,” according to NPR. For decades, Finland — which shares … Lire la suite

The end of the 1967 Six-Day War left Israeli forces on the east side of the Suez Canal and Egyptian forces on the west side, but there was no peace agreement, only an informal ceasefire. On March 8, 1969, a frustrated Egyptian Presi-dent Gamal Abdel Nasser declared an end to the ceasefire and started the “War … Lire la suite