When Russia began its “special military operation” into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, numerous Western countries pledged to support the latter with a variety of weapons. Among the least expensive but most effective was a British contribution commonly known as the NLAW, representing its status as a “Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon.” 21st-Century Antitank weapon … Lire la suite

“What have the Romans ever done for us?” John Cleese pondered in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.”  Well, nothing because according to one TikToker, ancient Rome wasn’t even real. Sorry to inform you, Edward Gibbon.  The supposedly history-themed TikToker, whose handle is @momllennial_, garnered outrage — and views — after she claimed in a Nov. … Lire la suite

Simón Bolívar, the vaunted “Libertador” of South America, was in serious trouble. Outflanked on the left by Spanish royalists at Vargas Swamp in New Granada (present-day Colombia), his troops had withdrawn in disorder, threatening Bolívar’s patriot army with collapse. The situation called for immediate action. Without hesitation James Rooke led his battalion of 2nd Rifles … Lire la suite

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