By Richard Sisk: Mattis’ Farewell Urges Troops to ‘Keep The Faith’ Despite Turmoil
By Amy Bushatz: Need to Know: These New UCMJ Laws Start Jan. 1
A series of sweeping reforms and updates to the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) kick in on Jan. 1, 2019, including the addition of some crimes, an expansion of victims’ rights and standardizing the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers on some military bases.
Chilled to The Bone!
Air Force Staff Sgt. Christina Parker, of the Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Civil Engineer Squadron, plays the part of a water rescue victim during a training exercise at Polaris Lake, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Dec. 6, 2018. Air Force Staff Sgt. Rocky Vazquez, a 354th Civil Engineer Squadron fire protection crew chief, leads the exercise and ensures safety in the frigid cold.
By James Clark: 5 Incredible Military Movies And Shows You May Have Missed In 2018
By Michael Peck The National Interest: Apple Removes Video Game That Portrays Taliban As the Enemy
Perhaps it could be argued that World War II games focus on a Third Reich that no longer exists, while Afghanistan ’11 could ruffle sensitivities because it depicts a Taliban that exists in the present. Still, for all the cruelty of the Taliban, it’s more than debatable that the Nazis were any better.
To be fair to Apple, some games deserve to be extinguished, such as the new neo-Nazi game where players kill Jews, gays and journalists. But games like Afghanistan ’11 are more than entertainment: they are interactive history that gives players a chance to step into the shoes of historical or current commanders and perceive the dilemmas that soldiers and politicians face.
Unless you believe that the American public suffers from too much knowledge about America’s nearly twenty-year war in Afghanistan, which has cost the lives of nearly 3,000 U.S. soldiers killed in action, then a simulation like Afghanistan ’11 fulfills a vital role.
