After more than 100 tense minutes, German troops in Kabul hit the roof when their team scored the winning goal in Sunday’s World Cup game against Argentina. “The reaction from the troops was unbelievable,” said Col. Achim Ruetzel, chief of the Civil Aviation Transition Branch. “Everyone was jumping around with his arms in the air and everybody was – almost kissing each other, I would say.” A few U.S. troops were also watching the game at the German troops’ invitation, Ruetzel told Outside the Wire on Tuesday. “Obviously, they were all cheering for the German team, not for Argentina,” he…
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The British army, like its U.S. counterpart, is drawing down. The waistlines of its soldiers, however, are not. Multiple British media outlets have reported that more than 32,000 soldiers have chalked up at least one fitness-test failure in the past three years . More than 22,000 British army members are considered overweight by the Ministry of Defence, which one unnamed U.K. defense official (make that “defence official”) blamed on their “appalling diet.” Despite the eye-popping statistics — current British army end strength rests at 150,000 or so — the Daily Mail reported only 50 U.K. soldiers had been kicked out…
Although U.S. troops have gone to war many times since 1776, Congress has only declared war 11 times. Tuesday is the anniversary of the first resolution, which declared war on Great Britain on June 17, 1812, just a couple of decades after the American Revolution. Unlike subsequent declarations, which were passed unanimously or nearly so, going to war against Great Britain was by no means assured. The Senate passed the resolution by a vote of 19-13 and the House passed it by a vote of 79-49, drawing much of the opposition from northeastern states, according to the House of Representatives…
Video-game conference-goers got a sneak peek Tuesday at “Fury” — a tank-based World War II drama starring Brad Pitt that hits theaters in November. The Wargaming.net panel at the E3 megaconference in Los Angeles debuted the short clip, which was posted on YouTube by IGN and reported on by Vanity Fair. And now that the attribution’s out of the way, take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFWvk1NgfY What we learn in 95 or so seconds: Fans of CGI and “Transformers”-level battle sequences probably should stay home come November: Fury was shot on film, with traditional special effects. This would explain why the production…
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – especially when you’re preparing for a division review. More than 15,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division will be practicing for the big division pass and review Thursday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as part of All-American Week, and the folks from U.S. Army W.T.F.! Moments are trying to make sure they stay on their feet. “We would like to provide hydration to these soldiers during one of their practice days, which falls on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the division review happening on Thursday,” they wrote on their GoFundMe site. Donations will buy Gatorade – at…
A Fox television spokeswoman confirmed to Army Times on Thursday what the TV industry had been predicting for months: The Army-themed comedy “Enlisted” had been canceled before the end of its initial 13-episode run. Many blamed the cancellation on the show’s Friday-night time slot — some publications even sought redress — but despite the perceived poor timing, fans of the show frequently massed on Twitter every Friday to watch together and share their reactions, often with cast members and always with show creator and Twitter ringleader Kevin Biegel. When the show went off the air in late March, fans continued…
The nation’s best basketball players — give or take a few superstars — will practice at the U.S. Military Academy in August, just weeks before heading to Spain to defend their world title. It’ll be unfamiliar territory for the players. But the coach knows his way around. Mike Krzyzewski, a 1969 West Point alum who spent five years as the Black Knights head coach before leaving for greener — and bluer — pastures in 1980, will lead Team USA to his alma mater for an Aug. 18 workout as part of the NBA’s Hoops for Troops program. The league announced…
[HTML1] Don’t worry, the singer of the salty safety brief is safe–from punishment. Superiors at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, were in on the joke when Pfc. Michael Davis sang an acoustic anti-drunk-driving song, in spite of the foul language. In fact, 1st Sgt. Travis Cook said Davis — a Christian singer-songwriter — is “straight-laced as they come,” and was simply adapting how Cook curses for emphasis while delivering the weekly briefings. The NCO was grateful Davis’ creative take grabbed the attention of his 130-plus battle buddies, helping the safety message sink in. “Like the whole Army, we’re confronting DUI’s, and when…
The Office of Strategic Services Society will continue its fight to see Frederick Mayer receive the Medal of Honor, even after Army Secretary John McHugh declined to reopen the case. “We’re the OSS Society! We never stop fighting,” group president Charles Pinck wrote in an e-mail. The OSS Society is a nonprofit organization that celebrates the accomplishments of the OSS during World War II. The society renewed its push to recognize Mayer in March, when President Obama presented the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, to 24 soldiers from World War II, Vietnam and Korea who didn’t receive…
[HTML1] Why can’t all safety briefs be like this? A guitar strumming soldier at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson spiced up his safety brief with an acoustic number that cautioned, “Alaska will f—ing get you, if you drink and drive.” Wear condoms, avoid falling for strippers and not to mess with wildlife, crooned the soldier, identified in the comments at U.S. Army WTF! moments as a member of Comanche Company 1-501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. Though most of the lyrics are unprintable on this family blog, it’s grabbier than the average safety brief, and the nearly three-minute clip elicits peals of laughter from…
