Sgt. Major Mike Barnett offers this list of 54 books for Marines to read so they can better understand the history and culture of of the USMC. There are some great works here. “13 Cent Killers: The 5th Marine Snipers
From the Associated Press: BRUSSELS — As the battle in Libya appeared at stalemate, it was an open secret that foreign military advisers were working covertly inside the country providing guidance to rebels and giving tactical intelligence to NATO aircraft
Don’t worry, we’re coming… There’s a troubling report in the Air Force Times about the Pave Hawk HH-60, which are used for search and rescue missions. The Air Force says that only 57% of the fleet is available for missions
An anti-Israeli activist goes into a Muslim-owned shop in London and berates the owner for stocking Israeli dates. Israel is an “apartheid regime,” she tells him. The owners response is priceless: “What country are you in? Why are you not
From wire reports: Residents in northeast Georgia have rallied to send cases of shaving cream to Marines downrange, and it’s not to help the first sergeant enforce grooming standards. Members of Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, now deployed
From the AP: Two American men already held for two years in Tehran have been sentenced to 8 years each in prison on charges of espionage and illegal entry into Iran, state TV reported Saturday.
The Space and Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville, Alabama just broke up and the mood was gloomy. The comments by Lt. General Patrick O’Reilly, head of the Missile Defense Agency based on Redstone Arsenal, and Dr. Uzi Rubin, the first
Let the cracks and jokes begin! Svetlana Medvedeva, with her husband From The Moscow Times: A first lady’s ceremonial duties are many and varied, but Svetlana Medvedeva may claim the oddest of all should she accept an invitation to chair
Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation stands tall… Russia Today reports on the anniversary: [youtube EVg-aVs6aag nolink]
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China sent its first aircraft carrier Varyag out for sea trials. But another Soviet carrier, Kiev, sits in another Chinese harbor, ready for its mission. In 1996 a Chinese company bought it and has now converted it into a floating
From the Associated Press: WASHINGTON — The Army improperly tested new bullet-blocking plates for body armor and cannot be certain that 5 million pieces of the critical battlefield equipment meet the standards to protect U.S. troops, the Defense Department’s inspector
Allen West sends a short letter to the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Obviously these people don’t know their history if they are confused at all by this (very brief) letter. As most BigPeace readers could tell them, the
From the Associated Press: Sleep well, soldier ST. LOUIS — A doctor once told Albert Brown he shouldn’t expect to make it to 50, given the toll taken by his years in a Japanese labor camp during World War II
How much are we really spending on fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Based on this interesting analysis, no one really knows. Consider some numbers. In FY 2011 Congress has authorized $113 billion for the war in Afghanistan and $46
A British center-left think tank has done an analysis of the words used by left-of-center and conservative analysts in determining the roots causes behind the UK riots. They looked at more than 200 articles from leading blogs on the left
Take a group of combat-tested vets, put them up on stage, let them tell jokes about getting shot in the head, and you have the GIs of Comedy. Its a collection of five guys from different branches. And it’s quite
A foreign policy team? Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute is always refreshing to read. Not that I always agree with him, mind you. He recently wrote a devastating attack on the absolute foolishness of Obama’s foreign policy as it
Today, fifty years ago, the Berlin Wall went up. One of those living in the East and caught was Ulrich Pfeifer, an engineer. Pfeifer escaped in the days that followed by slipping through the Berlin sewer system. He then spent
Actually, that was the position of New York Times columnist Gail Collins in November 2008 concerning President George W. Bush. The economic situation was so bad, she wanted Bush to resign and step aside so that the economic problems could
Okay, you are friends; but holding hands is a bit creepy… We have reported here on the warming relationship between Pakistan and China. Pakistan sees the US as an unreliable ally. And China sees an opportunity to expand its influence
From the UK’s Daily Mail: The story is here.
I highly recommend The Spectator (UK). It’s a terrific magazine. Their timing on this cover, however, was not so good….
Perhaps this one and a half minute interview with an Irishman living in London explains it more than all of the news coverage of the riots combined. As he puts it, the rioters have a complete disregard for human life
Sad to believe that some vets die and there is no one there to claim their bodies. But in Utah, at least, they will be honored. From the Associated Press: SALT LAKE CITY — Fifteen veterans who died years after
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From the Associated Press: Reports identifying some of the U.S. troops killed when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan began circulating Sunday. Thirty Americans and eight Afghans were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest single loss for
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The Military Times reports: Do men want to smell like Gen. George S. Patton? The U.S. Army is banking on it. It’s licensed an official fragrance called “Patton” by Parfumologie. This is a funny way to brand your cologne. Despite
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A military helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan, killing 31 U.S. special operation troops, most of them from the elite Navy SEALs unit that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, along with seven Afghan commandos.
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From the Associated Press: WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ruled that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld can be sued personally for damages by a former U.S. military contractor who says he was tortured during a nine-month imprisonment in
Germany’s left-leaning Der Spiegel has a long report on the recent murders of Iran nuclear scientists. When asked about the killing of Darioush Rezaei on July 23, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, “Israel is not responding.” Not what you
Take my advice, I know about money The Russian President had some strong words for the United States when he spoke from a summer camp in Lake Seliger, Russia. Americans are “like a parasite” on the global economy he declared.
From the UK’s Daily Mail: Any volunteers for Recon duty? Marines are trying to stop bathers using an amphibious assault training ground in San Diego as a nudist beach. The strip of sand at Gold Beach has becoming popular with
Big Peace contributor Brad Thor has a superb new book out. For those who love thrillers, and those who take their politics seriously, there is no one better than Brad Thor. In his latest, you not only get intense action
From the Associated Press: BRUSSELS – A Libyan sought damages against NATO in a Belgian civil court on Wednesday, accusing the alliance of killing his wife and three children in an air strike, his lawyer said Wednesday. Khaled Hemidi says
From the Army Times: Low-rate initial production of 800 revolutionary XM806 lightweight .50-caliber machine guns started in February. A pierced primer during limited user testing halted progress, said Lt. Col. Thomas Ryan, product manager of crew-served weapons for Program Executive