Armed Forces

Eyes on Texas

North Korea Is Aiming Nukes at...Austin?

Uh Oh: North Korea Is Aiming Nukes At....Austin? Yes, Because SXSW Is TOO CROWDED, Man

North Korea, that mysterious country of Photoshopping experts, is once again rattling sabers. So who cares if they're shaking some ancient cavalry weapon, you ask? Well, the sabers North Korea rattles are intercontinental nuclear missles aimed at New York, LA, DC and Austin. Austin?

Upcoming Events: Guys and Gals, We Really Like You and Want You to Be Happy

The 4th annual Valentines for Soldiers event is coming up on Monday, January 21 from 6 to 9 p.m., once again held at the Saint Arnold Brewery at 2000 Lyons -- and it's certainly come a long way since a few people gathered at the request of local food blogger Nishta Mehra to make cards and stuff care ... More >>

Scooter Brown Band

Owls Soar Over Falcons and Triumph in Armed Forces Bowl

It was strange watching the Rice Owls players celebrate on the field following their 33-14 Armed Forces Bowl win over Air Force on Saturday at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium. Strange because the Owls were only 7-6 on the season and they were acting like they'd just won the mythical national championsh ... More >>

FFL Highlights (Fan Fighting League) -- Special Turkish Wheelchair Basketball Exhibition Bout

Much has been made over the last decade or two of the rise of popularity (and skill, quite frankly) in international basketball. Many trace it back to the 1992 USA Dream Team's ceremonious romp through the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Ask any international star today between the age of 30 and ... More >>

Chupacabras, Assault Rifles, and Busting Facebragging Hunters: True Texas Game Warden Adventures

Among crime blotters in the state, two of the best belong to the Lufkin Daily News and the Wise County Messenger. But those are both private sector news sources. Our favorite "socialist" crime blotter comes from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, whose periodic Game Warden Field Notes is must ... More >>

Joe B. Phillips Goes For "Despicable Lawyer Of The Year" Award: Rips Off Mentally Incompetent Vets

Just before his trial was set to start in federal court yesterday, Houstonian Joe B. Phillips, 73, faced up to the truth: He's a pretty despicable guy. How despicable? He entered a guilty plea to ripping off mentally incompetent veterans to the tune of more than $2 million. That's right: Phillips ... More >>

Nayely Ruby Herrera, 21: Houston Woman's Strawman-Purchasing Spree Nets 15 AK-47-Type Weapons

A 21-year-old Houston woman has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for using false information to purchase at least 15 AK-47-type weapons over a two-month period. Nayely Ruby Herrera, 21, made her purchases at a Valley gun store called The Armory, located in McAllen. "During trial, th ... More >>

Brad Taylor: Enemy of Mine

Combat Veterans Fall Prey to Gambling Addictions at an Alarming Rate

where's the military when the chips are down?

Kevin Corley's Murder-For-Hire/Drug Complaint Reads Like Quentin Tarantino Movie

Kevin Corley was one of a group of men whose arrests were announced today by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston, and let's just say the man makes for a good criminal complaint. It reads like a Quentin Tarantino rip-off and has guns, drugs and a murder for hire in which the killer promised to car ... More >>

Breaking It Down: The Hard Stuff

Painkiller addiction is one of the largest and fastest-growing problems among today's younger veterans.

Breaking It Down

It may not be PTSDs or brain injuries that pose the most long-term danger to our surviving vets from their Middle East tours.

Blood Money

More than 200 soldiers are suing KBR for knowingly exposing them to toxic chemicals in Iraq, whose effects started with nose bleeds and could end with cancer. KBR says that didn't happen. But even if it did, the company isn't responsible. Taxpayers are.

Declassified KBR Contract Shows How It Gets a Free Pass for Willful Misconduct

These dudes know how to write a sweet contract.​A KBR government contract protected the company from liability for injuries or deaths caused by willful misconduct, according to recently declassified Army documents. Although the existence of the clause was revealed as a part of a lawsuit file ... More >>

Street Dogs

The Eight Toughest Soldiers Texas Ever Produced (Featuring Heroism, Betrayal & Many Dead Bodies)

Audie Murphy, starring in the story of his own life​Our war heroes are presented to us in different varieties. There are those we create for ourselves, in the mold of what we think a hero should be: David Crockett (nobody but Walt Disney called him Davey), astride the ramparts at the Alamo goi ... More >>

The 6 Worst Air-Show Disasters: A Video Collection, Just In Time For Wings Over Houston

Things can go wrong​Next time you go to an air show, take a look at the fine print on the ticket. Besides the usual stuff about acts of God and "Promoter not responsible if the frontman doesn't show due to injecting Drano into his balls," there's something else. It says they're really, really ... More >>

Every Weed Farm Needs A Good Rocket Launcher

Peace out​Here's a tip if you're planning on running a Liberty County weed farm: Get a rocket launcher. Apparently you're going to need one, if the operation busted by cops yesterday is any indication. Acting on a Crime Stoppers tip, law enforcement authorities raided a property near Clevel ... More >>

It's Time for Rick Perry! (Featuring Epically Awful Video)

If this doesn't get your blood pumping for a Rick Perry presidential candidacy then you, sir or madam, are devoid of blood. Fighter jets twirling in the sky, vets saluting the flag, a hideous rock song and Rick Perry spouting cliches to the whitest audience outside of an NHL arena -- what more coul ... More >>

Four Musicians The G.I. Bill Put On Their Way

Library of Congress

Comment of the Day

​Today Nicholas Hall reported on a DEFCON 1 dining event that took place at 11th Street Café. The meal wasn't the best, but that was hardly the point. Said commenter Crystal: I gotta say that I love the DEFCON dining series. Not only are they pretty entertaining to read, they function as p ... More >>

DEFCON Dining: Giacomo's Cibo e Vino

Sharing plates at Giacomo's​A couple of weeks ago, I walked you guys through a DEFCON 3 dining event. Fortunately, there are a whole lot of restaurants that fit the DEFCON 3 specs, and many of them are pretty good. Even more fortunately (for me, at least), DEFCON 3 isn't an everyday occurrence ... More >>

William McRaven, Supervisor of SEAL Team That Got Bin Laden: A UT Journalism Grad

William McRaven: Knows a pyramid lede when he sees one.​Don't mess with journalism majors!! A lesson Osama bin Laden learned to his regret recently; the last thoughts through his diseased mind were no doubt about how journalism -- especially University of Texas journalism -- had triumphed aga ... More >>

Patrick Regan and Ximena del Pilar Echeverry Arias: Husband-Wife Team Arrested for Running Guns from Houston to Colombia

Dad, get me out of this one​A Houston-area couple has been charged with smuggling arms to Colombia, and a whole lot of weaponry was seized. Federal agents arrested Patrick Regan, 40, and his wife Ximena del Pilar Echeverry Aria, 25, who was a Colombian native, on Tuesday, prosecutors announce ... More >>

Aggies' Alexander Kemos: Well, No, I'm Not A Tufts Grad. Or A Navy SEAL, For That Matter

Alexander Kemos: Not a SEAL​When it comes to resume padding, there are two options. You can go small, like George O'Leary when he applied for the head football coaching job at Notre Dame and falsely claimed to have a master's from "NYU-Stony Brook University" and to have lettered in football a ... More >>

Aggie "Gunman" Was Carrying Fake AK-47 For Halloween, Report Says

Photo via The EagleThe real-looking AK-47 that set hearts racing​The student who caused a frantic shutdown of the Texas A&M campus was carrying a realistic-looking fake AK-47 he planned to use as part of a Halloween costume, an official report says. The Bryan-College Station Eagle obtained th ... More >>

Gay Houstonians: Go Apply For The Armed Forces, You Can't Be Rejected

Don't ask, don't tell -- but let us know what happens​The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder is reporting that the Pentagon's legal office has given guidance to recruiters saying that, thanks to a federal judge staying "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," gay applicants cannot be rejected."As of today, one can walk int ... More >>

Pinalcchio

Renowned forensics experts say a Pinal County deputy's high-profile tale about getting shot after encountering drug smugglers doesn't add up

Warrior Spirit: Vets Band Looks For Members

Paul Delacerda, rockin' on​Paul Delacerda is looking for some bandmates. But not just any bandmates.Delacerda, from Houston, is the founding member of Warrior Spirit, a duo of combat vets that he hopes to grow into a larger band.Delacerda came home from Iraq a retired Staff Sgt. with wounds from a ... More >>

Rick Perry Gets PWNED By Arizona's Governor

You got served....by Arizona​The squeaky wheel gets the grease, Rick Perry.Perry was famously, and surprisingly, critical of Arizona's controversial law regarding immigrants and demands to see their papers.Arizona governor Jan Brewer became a darling of the right, trumpeting about protecting ... More >>

Chris Stokes, U.S. Marine, Gets His Stolen Medals Back In Memorial Day Miracle (Of Sorts)

One bad Memorial Day followed by one good one​A year ago, U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Chris Stokes was tubing in New Braunfels. His vehicle, parked at the Landa Park Rec Center, was broken into while he and his wife were on the river.Among the items stolen -- Stokes' Marine honor medals. Bummer o ... More >>

The Obama Invasion Of Aggieland Has Almost Begun; Where To Get Live Coverage

Photo courtesy The Battalion​Some Aggies got upset with our interpretation of President George H.W. Bush's open letter to them saying "Chill out, brosephs, when Obama comes to town."Now the President is in town, and how are they doing?You can follow along at The Battalion, the campus paper, which ... More >>

Ask Not

Web exclusive!

St. Patrick's Day Special: Donohoe & Grimes' cover of Denis Leary's "Traditional Irish Folk Song"

Fun Fact: On November 21, 1920, Michael Collins' squad of fighters killed 14 British Army officers, police officers and civilians, wounding five. In retaliation, members of British paramilitary group "The Auxiliaries" drove their trucks into Dublin's Croke Park during a soccer match and began random ... More >>

Poor Treatment of Returning Veterans

Caleb Campbell Required to Fulfill Army Commitment First

“Face the Music: An Evening of Jazz Dedicated to Fighting AIDS in Africa”

Music for a good cause

300: March to Glory

PSP players, tonight you game in hell

Don't Show, Don't Tell

Ay, Oy! Let's Goy!

Xiu Xiu

The Air Force

Don't Ask, Don't Be

A Houston-area man leads the fight against the ban on gays in the military

Virtual Quagmire

The Army's realistic first-person shooter bogs down under fire

War Is Not Hell

The Chron's embedded reporter is far from the action

Killing the Leaders

Young Guns

Some are ready to die. Others aren't -- they just want a chance at a better life. But even the most careful of local teens who enlist in 2003 may find their plans for a desk job interrupted by war.

Keep History Alive

Paul Matthews puts his collection of military history on display

Their First 100 Years

Will the Chronicle's celebration turn up the headlines of August 24, 1917?