War Articles | War History

John ‘Mad Jack’ Churchill: The British Army Officer Who Charged Into Battle With a Longbow, Broadsword and a Set of Bagpipes

John "Mad Jack" Churchill and others running from an LCP (L), through the water, to the shore + Portrait of John "Mad Jack" Churchill

In every conflict, there are service members who stand out for their unique ways of approaching conflict. None, however, were as quirky as John “Mad…

Navy Deserter Living Under Stolen Identity Arrested, Convicted of Fraud

Close-up of a US Navy Sailor in uniform

A Tennessee man who deserted the US Navy over 40 years ago has been identified and arrested, after the man whose identity he stole received…

Kurt Vonnegut’s Time as a Soldier During WWII Inspired His Popular Anti-War Novel, ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’

Kurt Vonnegut portrait.

Written by Todd Neikirk and Clare Fitzgerald Kurt Vonnegut is one of the most beloved and influential authors of the 20th century. While he was…

The Molotov Cocktail: A Quick History Of The Surprisingly Effective Weapon

Todd Neikirk
A protester throws a Molotov cocktail in Kiev, Ukraine in 2014

Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24th of 2022. Ukrainian soldiers are taking on the Russian troops, but so are a number of Ukrainian civilians.…

Tom Lehrer Invented Jello Shots to Skirt The Military’s No Alcohol in Bases Policy

Todd Neikirk
Tom Lehrer being interviewed

Tom Lehrer is one of the more interesting people of the last 100 years. He is a man of many gifts, though he has sometimes…

Why Was Jimi Hendrix Discharged from the US Army?

Todd Neikirk
Jimi Hendrix performing on stage

Jimi Hendrix died in September 1970, at the young age of 27. He packed quite a legacy into those 27 years, becoming perhaps the greatest…

William McRaven: One of the Most Famous Navy SEALs in American History

Todd Neikirk
Admiral McRaven speaking at a podium

William McRaven is one of the most famous Navy SEALs in American history. A four-star admiral, he was in command and helped organize the operation…

Wild Weasels Undertake the US Air Force’s Most Dangerous Missions

General Dynamics F-16CJ Fighting Falcon in flight + Wild Weasel patch

There is nothing we love more than a good motto! The unofficial slogan for the US Air Force’s Wild Weasel crew is “YGBSM” – an…

Vasily Zaytsev: Successful Red Army Sniper During World War II

Vasily Zaitsev with two other Red Army soldiers

The Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, during Operation Barbarossa. The action inspired young men and women across Russia to take up arms. One…

John Clem: The Youngest Noncommissioned Officer in US Army History

John Clem as a child + John Clem as an adult

When the American Civil War broke out in April 1861, it was an all-hands-on-deck situation for the Union and Confederate armies. All men of fighting…

Mary Edwards Walker: The Only Woman to Receive the Medal of Honor

Mary Edwards Walker wearing a top hat

Today, about a third of all American doctors are female, and women make up 14 percent of all active-duty US military members. This represents a…

F-104 Starfighter: The Lightweight Fighter-Bomber Nicknamed ‘The Widow Maker’

F-104 Starfighter in flight

Throughout the 20th century, aviation missions grew much safer. That didn’t mean, however, that some aircraft were more safe than others. Following the Korean War,…