Commentary: When the Invaders Outnumber the Army

According to the website Statista, the United States has the third largest standing “Army” in the world. The website says that we have 1.3 million soldiers under arms. By “soldiers,” they’re referring to all of our armed forces—Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force. Third largest in the world. Not bad, if you’re into measuring things. China and India are the only countries with larger militaries. Russia has one about the same size as us, as does North Korea.

In addition to our active force, Statista says we have over 760,000 reservists attached to our armed forces. For those unfamiliar, a reservist is also a soldier (generic term) who can theoretically be called into duty to do things the active forces do. They’re called reservists because they are the first line of replenishment for the active force. Reservists serve in various capacities in all of the branches of the US military. They train once a month with their unit and have a two-week annual training event where they go to an installation and ensure their skills are ready for wartime. Some call them weekend warriors. I call them heroes—many or most have other jobs and serve our great country because they want to serve. Of key importance is that all of these service members are federally authorized and work at the direction of the president.

Read the full story

Nunn Says Hearings on Biden’s Afghanistan Debacle a Long Time Coming

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA-03) served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, amassing some 1,000-combat flight hours. The freshman congressman said Wednesday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the debacle that was the Biden administration-led U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was long overdue. 

“It’s unfortunate it’s taken us almost two years to get to this point,” Nunn told The Iowa Star Wednesday morning on NewsTalk 1040 WHO.

Read the full story

Marines Continue Fight with Department of Defense over Vaccine Mandate

Several members of the U.S. Marines are still fighting the U.S. Department of Defense in a lawsuit they filed over its August 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The DOD asked the court to dismiss the case after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was forced to drop the mandate by Congress. President Joe Biden, who strongly opposed repealing the mandate, agreed to repealing it when he signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law in December.

Read the full story

Wisconsin Congressman Gallagher Calls Marine Corps Report on Gender ‘Insane’

U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) this week responded scathingly to news that the Marine Corps is considering a report recommending the branch ditch gendered identifiers for drill instructors.

The Corps commissioned a study per a $2 million contract with the University of Pittsburgh. The report broadly recommends “direct, sustained training from drill instructors of both genders” to emphasize that “men and women are equally respected and authoritative leaders of their Service.” A section of the study addresses allegedly discriminatory language and suggests that the Corp may want to consider instructing personnel to call their superior officers  by their ranks and last names rather than “Sir” or “Ma’am.” 

Read the full story

Exclusive: Adam Warner Releases ‘Reason to Redneck’ Lyric Video

Adam Warner hails from the farm country of southern Illinois, quite near to where my mother and her family lived. This area is so consumed by farming, specifically corn and soybeans, that you really do feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere.

Just like my mother and aunts, both of Warner’s grandmothers played piano and sang at church. His mother was involved in theater and singing as well. He was certainly not the only one in the family who did music but would be the only one who chose it as a career path.

Read the full story

Flags Unfurled: Presley O’Bannon – Tripoli Hero to Marine Corps Legend

Growing up with the name O’Bannon I was vaguely aware that there was a famous person named Presley O’Bannon who was important in American History. When I got married 37 years ago to a Marine Corp veteran who has a degree in history, I was informed that not only was Presley O’Bannon an important figure in history, he was especially important to the Marines. The United States Marine Corps hymn opens with “From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles on the land and on the sea.” Presley O’Bannon was the man who led battles on the shores of Tripoli from whence the song lyrics came.

Read the full story

Arizona Gov. Ducey Fails to Join Governors Fighting Back Against Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine for Their National Guard

The Biden administration announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all branches of the military on August 25, which applies to members of the Arizona Army National Guard (AZARNG). Although six governors are attempting to stop the mandate for their National Guards, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is not one of them. 

AZARNG has not begun discharging any soldiers yet, but intends to follow the lead of other branches of the military, which have. The Department of Defense declared that Army National Guard and Reserve members have until June 30 to receive their shots.

Read the full story

Biden Officials at Kabul Airport Warned American Rescue Plane to Turn Back or Be Shot Down

A private airplane that was flying into Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul, Afghanistan to rescue stranded American citizens and Afghan allies allegedly was told to turn back or they would be shot down.

In the past 24 hours, American officials in charge of giving clearance at the airport told fellow Americans they would be fired upon if they didn’t leave, Mary Beth Long, a former Department of Defense official, told American Greatness in an exclusive interview.

Read the full story

Antifa Accused of Attacking Marines in Philadelphia Has Ties With DC’s Radical Antifa Leader

by Andrew Kerr   One of the suspects charged with assault for allegedly attacking two Marines in Philadelphia in November has ties with Washington D.C.’s radical Antifa leader Joseph “Jose” Alcoff, who’s advocated for violence and for the overthrow of the government. Thomas Keenan, 33, was charged in November with aggravated assault after allegedly partaking in a mob attack against two Marines who were mistaken for being participants in a right-wing rally. Keenan has been called “leader” of the Antifa contingent in Philadelphia area, according to Philadelphia Magazine. In 2011, Keenan and Alcoff were arrested and charged with rioting in New Jersey after a street fight broke out between neo-Nazis and members of the Anti-Racist Action organization. The Marines, Alejandro Godinez and Luis Torres, testified in December that a group of 10 to 12 Antifa members called them “Nazis” and “white supremacists” and attacked them on the street despite their denials that they had no association with the right-wing group demonstrating nearby. During the attack, Godinez said he shouted “I’m Mexican” at the mob, which allegedly led the attackers to call him a “spic” and “wetback.” Alcoff, 36, has made significant efforts to separate his true identity from his fanatical personas, “Chepe” and “Jose Martin,” which…

Read the full story

Five Marines Still Missing After War Planes Crash Off Japan

by Grace Carr   Five U.S. Marines are still missing after two military aircraft crashed roughly 200 miles off the coast of Japan early Thursday. Rescuers are searching for the missing Marines but have still not been able to locate them, according to U.S and Japanese authorities, NBC News reported. Seven Marines were involved in the crash and two of the men have been found, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. A Japanese military ship found one of the Marines who was killed in the crash, according to CNN. His body was taken to a hospital to be evaluated. The other Marine is in “fair condition,” according to NBC. The incident occurred after two military planes collided and crashed into the Sea of Japan early Thursday morning. An F/A-18 fighter jet carrying two passengers struck a KC-130 aircraft during refueling. “We are thankful for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s, the Japanese Coast Guard’s, and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s efforts as they continue to respond to the search and rescue operation,” the Marines tweeted from its official Twitter account. Three ships and 10 Japanese aircraft are helping search for the remaining Marines, CNN reported. The accident took place during a regular training exercise at Marine Corps Air…

Read the full story