Recruiting Boost: How US Army's Big Gains in 2025 Translate to New Year
America’s Army rewired itself in 2025 with border support missions, global exercises, and a modernization push as commanders prepare for broader challenges in a constantly evolving world. That was highlighted by a sizable recruiting uptick. The Army marked its 250th birthday this year and hit its active-duty 61,000-member recruiting goal with weeks to spare, the […]
‘I Never Want to See it Again.’ Vietnam Soldier Recalls Deadly Napalm, Tet Offensive
It’s been almost 58 years since Army veteran Robert Hendricks witnessed some of the worst moments of the Vietnam War, but those stark memories remained burned into his subconscious. Hendricks, who was drafted into service in 1967, was in Vietnam when the infamous Tet Offensive began in January 1968 and saw firsthand the damaging effects […]
Army Soldier Travels 7k Miles, Surprises Cancer-Stricken Mother For Christmas
Last year was the first time that U.S. Army Pvt. First Class Patrick Konczal ever remembered not being with his family on Christmas. This year, with help near and far, he made a 7,000-mile trek to give his parents—including a cancer-stricken mother—a giant holiday surprise. Konczal, a 74D and CBRN Specialist, is stationed at Camp […]
Strangers Come Together to Honor Fallen Veteran with No Known Family
A community in Arizona came together earlier this week to honor a veteran most did not know. Hundreds came to the Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Marana, Arizona, on Tuesday to pay their respects to Darrell Lee Arelt, a Vietnam veteran who had no known family to contact after he died from a short illness […]
‘We Love Him’: Vietnam Veteran Continues Service by Volunteering at Fort Carson
With a deafening crack, Vietnam veteran E. Paige Lanier pulled the lanyard on an M777 howitzer, sending a shell soaring over the prairie at Fort Carson’s vast training grounds south of Colorado Springs. On that sunny fall day, Command Sgt. Maj. Rob McGinnis introduced Lanier to the crowd gathered for a demonstration of new technology […]
Remains of WWII Medal of Honor Recipient, Killed as a POW, Finally Comes Home
Capt. Willibald C. Bianchi, an Army Medal of Honor recipient who survived many obstacles in World War II, only to be killed in a terrible mistake, will finally return home to receive proper burial 80 years after he was declared missing in action. Bianchi, whose remains were properly identified on Aug. 11 by the Defense […]
Operation Hawkeye: US Attack on ISIS in Syria Leaves Open Questions
United States forces recently launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in Syria, hammering ISIS targets in a large-scale assault provoking broader questions about the terror cell’s impact on U.S. national security. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Dec. 19 strike targeted Islamic State networks and infrastructure through coordinated strikes aimed at preventing future attacks on American and […]
Seven American and German Soldiers Sat Down and Enjoyed a Christmas Dinner Together During the Battle of the Bulge
Elisabeth Vincken had listened to artillery fire for eight straight days before someone knocked on her cottage door on Christmas Eve in 1944. She opened it to find three lost American soldiers, one with a gunshot wound. Hours later, four German Wehrmacht soldiers showed up as well. The German woman forced both groups to surrender […]
Gold Star Family Receives Life-Changing Gift Through Service Dogs
Jillian Hinton’s face lights up with a wide smile as Kylo, a two-year-old black lab, playfully saunters over to her desk, resting his face on her lap as Hinton begins a recent Zoom call. Kylo is the first service dog to be placed with a Gold Star family through Dogs Inc., which trains highly skilled […]
Trump Says US Struck Islamic State Targets in Nigeria After Group Targeted Christians
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he’d launched a “powerful and deadly” U.S. strike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after spending weeks accusing the West African country’s government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians. “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United […]