military history 
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SOURCE: Washington Post
1/2/2021
Man Travels to Virginia in Quest to Interview WWII Veterans
A young Californian has traveled across the world after founding a nonprofit agency to collect and preserve the stories of surviving World War II veterans.
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SOURCE: TomDispatch
12/22/2020
Reflections on Vietnam and Iraq: The Lessons of Two Failed Wars
by Andrew Bacevich
Although the prospects for quickly turning around the ship seem dim, this has been an election year ending in zero, which has often signaled a turning point. The question is, in which direction.
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12/20/2020
Trump's Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan: Part 2 – Is There Even a "Trump Doctrine"?
by Brian Glyn Williams
Many Americans have bought Donald Trump's claim that he seeks to extricate the U.S. from "endless wars," including in Afghanistan. Viewed in the context of his other foreign policy actions, this claim is nonsensical, and undermines the work being done in support of global democracy and American interests.
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SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
12/17/2020
History Exposes the Problem with Biden’s Defense Secretary Nominee
by Grant Golub
World War II demonstrated the need for strong civilian control over a military divided between multiple armed service branches, both to guide strategy and to ensure the ultimate authority of the President over the military. The nomination of a recently-retired Army general for Secretary of Defense departs from that tradition.
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12/20/2020
Trump's Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan: Part 1 – Abandoning a Vulnerable Ally in the War on Terror
by Brian Glyn Williams
Donald Trump's plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan misrepresents the scope and costs of the American mission and ignores the high stakes of failure for both Afghans and American security, according to a scholar of the War on Terror.
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SOURCE: Los Angeles Review of Books
12/5/2020
Performance Anxiety: How Cold War Men’s Adventure Magazines Shaped Soldiers’ (Mis)Understandings of the Vietnam War (Review)
by Nicholas Utzig
A consideration of Gregory Daddis's book "Pulp Vietnam: War and Gender in Cold War Men’s Adventure Magazines."
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SOURCE: Popular Mechanics
12/4/2020
Fishermen Catch WWII Mine, Extremely Satisfying Explosion Ensues
The Royal Navy identified the mine as a German device dating to the World War II era and detonated it underwater.
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SOURCE: New York Post
12/6/2020
Unexploded 1,100-Pound World War II Bomb Found In Frankfurt
Unexploded munitions from war pose a potentially serious threat to the public, as a construction crew in Frankfurt discovered recently.
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SOURCE: Worcester (MA) Telegram and Gazette
12/7/2020
Last Pearl Harbor Fighter Plane that Still Flies a Historical Highlight at American Heritage Museum in Hudson
A series of accidents allowed a P-40 fighter plane to survive the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; after crashing in service a month later, the plane lay on a Hawaiian mountainside until 1985, when it was restored to flight condition using parts from other planes. It is now an attraction at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Massachusetts.
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SOURCE: New York Times
12/3/2020
He Escaped Death as a Kamikaze Pilot. 70 Years Later, He Told His Story.
"As the generation who lived through the war fades away, Japan’s opposing political sides are vying to reinterpret the kamikaze for a public still divided over the conflict’s legacy."
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SOURCE: War on The Rocks
11/30/2020
Musing on Gender Integration in the Military with Simone de Beauvoir
by Bill Bray
For those engaged in the military gender integration debate today, de Beauvoir’s writing offers an additional reminder — those arguing against more integration may be no less intelligent and sincere than those championing change. But they still may be wrong.
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SOURCE: Washington Post
11/29/2020
Let Trump Try To Defend Racist, Traitorous Confederates. Congress Can Still Prevail
by Ty Seidule
"This nation should honor those who fought bravely to defend it, not its enemies."
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11/15/2020
Can the COVID Crisis Create a New Civilian-Military Trust in Argentina?
by David M. K. Sheinin y Cesar R. Torres
Many Argentinians have been suspicious of military involvement in civil affairs since the end of the country's military dictatorship in 1983. Two scholars ask if the COVID crisis presents an opportunity for healing and reimagining the military's role in Argentina.
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SOURCE: WAMU
11/9/2020
The Smithsonian Will Open A National Native American Veterans Memorial In D.C. Wednesday
The National Native American Veterans Memorial will open with virtual programming, including a tour and video tribute, on Wednesday, November 11.
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11/8/2020
There is Nothing Sacred About the Military Vote
by Rachel Gunter
After a patient count, Joe Biden has claimed victory, and fears that late-arriving military absentee ballots could be subject to litigation that might decide the election have receded. This is fortunate, because history shows parties won't hesitate to interfere with the military vote for political advantage.
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SOURCE: Academe Blog
10/26/2020
Overcoming Setbacks in Academic Freedom at West Point
by Chris Arney
"The West Point faculty model and its policies have been evolving since Congress mandated the inclusion of more civilian faculty members in the 1990s. However, the clash of ideals and teaching methods between the academic and military cultures still exists, sometimes resulting in civilian-military discord and disagreement over values and process."
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10/25/2020
A Star-Spangled Moment of Reckoning for U.S. Civil-Military Relations?
by Gregory D. Foster
The "deal" between the military and civilian leadership has hinged on an exchange of obedience to lawful authority by the military for expectations of honesty, competence, and respect for the Constitution on the part of elected leaders. This deal has been taken for granted, until now.
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SOURCE: Washington Post
10/13/2020
Edward C. Meyer, General who Revamped Post-Vietnam ‘Hollow Army,’ Dies at 91
by 10/13/2020
During a congressional hearing in 1980, Gen. Meyer used the memorable phrase “a hollow Army” to describe how the military branch had been beset by staffing problems, outdated equipment and general malaise after the Vietnam War.
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SOURCE: The Conversation
10/8/2020
Americans Aren't Worried about White Nationalism in the Military– Because They Don't Know It's There
by Jennifer Spindel, Matt Motta, and Robert Ralston
The extent of white nationalism in the active military is not precisely known. But few Americans are aware at all of the connections between the military and far right groups. Publicizing the fact that military leadership--a trusted group--is concerned about the issue could make more Americans aware of the problem of domestic extremism.
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10/11/2020
The Battle of Salamis Opened the Door for Ancient Greece’s Golden Age
by Fred Zilian
September marked the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Salamis, where the Greeks won a surprising naval victory over Persian forces, thwarted their efforts to conquer Greece, and set the stage for the golden age of Athenian civilization.
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