Project Hula: The US Secretly Armed the Soviet Union to Invade Japan in WWII
In early 1945 the United States launched Project Hula, a secret program that transferred roughly 149 warships and trained about 12,000 Soviet sailors at Cold Bay, Alaska, to prepare the USSR for a Pacific offensive against Japan. The aid, part of an expanded Lend‑Lease agreement secured at Yalta, enabled Soviet amphibious assaults on the Kuril Islands and southern Sakhalin in August 1945. By September, the program wound down, with the U.S. later reclaiming many vessels, though the Soviet use of American landing craft left a lasting legacy in the ongoing Kuril dispute. The operation remains a rare instance of direct US‑Soviet wartime cooperation before the Cold War.
UK Puts Chagos Islands Handover Deal on Hold After Trump Withdraws Support
Britain has placed the proposed handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on indefinite hold after the United States, under President Donald Trump, withdrew its backing. The deal, which would have seen the UK lease the strategic Diego Garcia base...
'Monkey Business': Pentagon Sued for US Taxpayer-Funded Primate Labs
The Pentagon faces a lawsuit filed by watchdog White Coat Waste for allegedly ignoring Freedom of Information Act requests about multi‑million‑dollar primate experiments in the United States, Thailand and Peru. The suit alleges that hundreds of monkeys are subjected to...
Texas Gov. Abbott Announces $26M Grants to Fund Military Communities
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced more than $26 million in grants from the Texas Military Preparedness Commission’s Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant program, bringing total DEAAG funding to over $172 million since 2015. The money will support infrastructure upgrades at the state’s...
Federal Judge: No More Jail Time for Navy Veterans in Chinese Marriage Scam
A federal judge in Florida sentenced two Navy veterans involved in a marriage‑fraud ring to time served and supervised probation, avoiding additional jail time. The scheme paid U.S. citizens about $35,000 to marry Chinese immigrants, facilitating illegal entry and on‑base...
Veteran-Turned Tik-Tok Star Appears on ABC's 'Shark-Tank' To Share 'Remento'
Navy veteran and TikTok personality "Patriotic Kenny" appeared on ABC's "Shark Tank" to showcase Remento, a digital storytelling platform that turns recorded video and audio memories into hardcover books with QR-linked media. Remento announced it has surpassed one million user‑generated...
Mississippi Jury Acquits Engineer Accused of Lying About 2017 Military Plane Crash
An eight‑day federal trial in Greenville, Mississippi ended with a jury acquitting former propulsion engineer James Michael Fisher of false‑statement and obstruction charges related to the 2017 KC‑130T crash that killed 16 service members. Prosecutors alleged Fisher lied about propeller‑inspection...
The USS Mississippi Earned Eight Battle Stars and Made Naval History Twice
The USS Mississippi (BB‑41) earned eight battle stars and made naval history by firing the final battleship salvo against another warship during the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944. Built in 1917, she survived two catastrophic No. 2 turret explosions—one in...
Unmanned Naval Fleet Bolsters Marine Corps Force Design in Pacific
The Marine Corps’ Force Design emphasizes dispersed Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations across the Pacific, creating a logistics challenge for remote outposts. Blue Water Autonomy’s newly unveiled Liberty Class autonomous vessels—187‑foot, 150‑ton payload, 10,000‑nautical‑mile range—aim to deliver supplies, sensors and potentially...
'Quiet Death': US Sub Sinks Iranian Frigate, First Torpedo Kill Since WWII
U.S. Navy fast‑attack submarine fired a Mark 48 torpedo that sank the Iranian Moudge‑class frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, marking the first American torpedo kill of an enemy warship since World II. The strike killed at least 80 of the ship’s...
The Congressman Who Accidentally Told Japan How to Sink American Submarines During WWII
In 1943 Congressman Andrew J. May unintentionally revealed that Japanese depth charges were set too shallow for U.S. submarines, which could dive well beyond 200 feet. The disclosure prompted the Imperial Japanese Navy to deepen charge settings to around 250 feet, exposing...
Operation Hailstone: The US Navy's Devastating 1944 Raid on Truk Lagoon
On 17‑18 February 1944, the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 58 launched Operation Hailstone, a massive carrier‑based strike that virtually annihilated Japan’s Truk anchorage. Over two days American aircraft destroyed roughly 250 enemy planes, sank about 200,000 tons of shipping and ignited the...
At 100, WWII Veteran Celebrates a Life of Service Aboard Battleship New Jersey
WWII veteran John “Johnny Q” Quinesso celebrated his 100th birthday aboard the Battleship New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey. The ceremony honored his three‑year Pacific service and more than two decades as a volunteer guide at the museum, where he...
Trump Turns to US Military Leaders for Diplomatic Efforts on Iran and Ukraine
President Donald Trump has turned to senior military officials to spearhead high‑stakes diplomatic talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the Russia‑Ukraine war. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, joined indirect Iran negotiations in Oman, while Army Secretary Dan...
Veterans Fueling Central Ohio’s Tech Boom Through Teaching
Veterans Brian Parks and Bill Pencil are teaching automotive technology and welding at Tolles Career & Technical Center in Plain City, Ohio, bringing military‑honed teamwork, discipline, and technical expertise to high‑school students. Their hands‑on instruction aligns with Central Ohio’s rapidly...