Feb/100
Airman Battle Uniform Boot Test Results
Late last month Air Force Uniform Office released the results of a boot test to find the best stain-resistant properties for current-issue ABU boots.
The winning configuration was a mix of full-grain leather with a rubber toe and stain-resistant heel cap.
“The latest test boots have smooth leather, like the old black boots,” said Richard Keefer, AFUO chief, in a prepared statement. “The intent was to try a boot that is easy to clean, will not stain and hides scuffs and wear from industrial use.”
In August testers outfitted 200 men at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., with four types of hot weather boots in sage green. The wear test lasted 45 days and participants provided feedback on a comment logs, surveys and a focus group. The most common complaint, according to the AFUO, was traction.
For now, commanders will be authorized to wear black boots in work areas until a stain-resistant boot is produced.
Nov/090
Weekly Drill-Down: Air Force and Special Ops Holiday Shopping List Revealed
- A video review (above) tells us constitutes a good gear review. (Tactical Gearhead)
- The Air Force is looking to buy 2,220 Sony PlayStation 3 consoles. But why? (Information Week)
- Another milblogger bites the dust. Goodbye, Andrew Exum, editor and author of Abu Muqawama! (Abu Muqawama)
- Guess what is on the Special Operations Command’s holiday shopping list. (Danger Room)
- PHOTO: Thanksgiving dinner was flown in for troops overseas. (Line of Sight)
- Air Force General Craig McKinley tells us why he tweets. (Federal Times via Milblogging)
Oct/091
Top 101 Military Twitter Accounts
Image via www.bouhammer.com
With 140-words-or-less messages lighting up computer screens every second throughout the world, it’s no surprise that microblogging has caused much consternation for the U.S. Military.
Sure, with troops spouting endless thoughts on Twitter, there’s always going to be potential security breaches. However, by the sheer amount of official government Twitter accounts, the powers that be appear to be embracing it (though a little late in the game) more and more.
That’s why we put together this handy dandy Military Twitterverse directory to enable those within the military community to easily connect or reconnect with each other.
Additionally, be on the lookout for Twitter Lists, a new feature on the site that will allow members to organize followers and groups. Milblogging.com’s founder, who boasts 58,618 Twitter followers, said he will be organizing a list of all U.S. Army members very soon on Twitter.
Official Tweets
Who: @USArmy
Style: Positive and informative.
Followers: 16,975
Sweetest tweet: “GEN Casey: We need to build versatle leaders who can adapt to changes – because there will be changes #ausa. 1:58 PM Oct 6th from web.”
Other official tweeps: @mynavyfuture, @MyArmyReserve, @navy_reserve, @AFPAA, @AFdotmil, @AirForceNYC, @AFSpace, @AFMC_Now, @USMC, @USCG, @TheNatlGaurd, @airforcelive, @MarineCorpsNews.
***
Military Tweeple
Who: @LTCJonBrazelton
Style: Honest and funny.
Followers: 405
Sweetest tweet: “Thus endeth another weekend. I begin a week of Staff Duty Officer tomorrow, so if anything can go wrong, it will probably happen this week. about 12 hours ago from TweetDeck”
Other military tweeps: @AskRealMilitary, @bouhammer, @Blackfive, @BrotherO, @srtbangman, @customgear, @NYCNavy, @NavySquid, @Martin_Dempsey, @capecodgirl13, @jyoswa, @jakolaw, @usfora, @armyrotc, @iammilitary, @itstactical, @militaryphotos, @Navy_IA, @usnavyisdiverse, @NavyChaplain, @Old_Guard_PAO, @flynavy, @MilitaryTweets.
***
Military News
Who: @Militarydotcom
Style: Healthy mixture of education and fun.
Followers: 5,463
Sweetest tweet: “Slideshow- Evolution of the NASA Spacesuit: http://bit.ly/35OREo. 6:52 PM Oct 22nd from API”
Other news tweeps: @ArmyNewsNow, @militaryupdate, @MilitaryAvenue, @healthdotmil, @MilitaryChannel, @militarylog, @usmnews, @mySA_Military, @militaryworld, @armybase, @sdutMilitary, @NavyTimes, @nwnavynews, @navybuzztap, @pentagonchannel.
***
Military Assistance
Who: @the_USO
Style: Enlightening cheerleader.
Followers: 2,049
Sweetest tweet: “Phew! There’s a lot of stuffing going on at Lockheed Martin as they look to celebrate 200k care pkgs by the end of 2009 http://bit.ly/3tTIRJ. 4:17 PM Oct 18th from web.”
Other assistance tweeps: @militaryhousing, @MilitaryBenefit, @JobsNearBases, @Military1Source, @Military_Travel, @militarypathway, @MilitaryAwareness, @IdealMilHire, @MilitaryBlood, @MilitaryCredit, @MilitaryFSBO, @militaryliving, @MilitaryPro, @MilitaryLaw, @milvoteoverseas, @UnicoreMilitary.
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Military Supporters
Who: @milblogging
Style: A little insider-y but welcoming.
Followers: 58,618
Sweetest tweet: “Watching a Hannah Montana movie with the kids tonight, yeah. 8:14 PM Sep 25th from web.”
Other supportive tweeps: @AusRhiannon, @militarymission, @ILMil_Families, @milspousenet, @MilitaryKidsInt, @Fleet_Family, @ilovemytroops, @MailOurMilitary, @armyimcom, @Military_Brats, @soldiersangels, @AbleVeterans.
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Military Networking
Who: @WomenMarines
Style: Straight-forward and intelligent.
Followers: 1,248
Sweetest tweet: “Little known fact: Tun Tavern, where the Marine Corps started, was actually owned by a woman but was managed by her son. 11:12 AM Oct 10th from UberTwitter.”
Other networking tweeps: @ArmyConnect, @Milplace, @milpagan, @MilitaryLocator, @NavyVets, @USCGDirectory, @yourmilitary.
***
Military Wives
Who: @mymilitarylife
Style: Candid yet promotional.
Followers: 988
Sweetest tweet: “We have spent many many bdays apart, but not tmw. DH is home. Young son and I making a chocolate fudge cake, wish us luck. 11:44 PM Oct 10th from web.”
Other military wife tweeps: @ArmyWifeNetwork, @MyArmyWifeLife, @ArmyWives, @indiearmywife, @ChristianMWs, @militarymafia, @ArmyWife4Christ, @justanavywife, @navywivesclub, @ArmyWifeyDebbie, @thearmywife, @MilitaryMama.
Oct/095
11 Military-Inspired iPhone Apps
Last April Newsweek wrote that the iPod Touch and iPhone were quickly becoming the preferred handheld device to assist deployed soldiers. Although the Pentagon would not disclose how many iPods were on the ground, it’s evident by the growing number of military apps that many in uniform are making good use of Apple’s popular toys.
C-17 Duty Day Calculator – $.99
Know when you should put down the bottle? Or when your scheduled takeoff should be? The C-17 Duty Day Calculator does. Made for active duty, reserves and guard crew members, the application will show you each and every duty day limitations.
iSurvive – $1.99
Soldiers often find themselves in life or death situations. While some circumstances escalate quickly, and there’s no time at all to pull out an iPhone, iSurvive provides an exhaustive guide for those moments when you can. Its nine chapters cover evasions, navigation, radio communications, recovery, medical, personal protection, water, food and induced conditions.
U.S. Military Handbook – $9.99
Your pocket guide to all things military starts here. This app features reference material that covers everything from base pay to fitness and testing matrixes. The latest version includes base information for CONUS/OCONUS on a scrollable map.
BulletFlight – $29.99
Turn your iPhone into a ballistics calculator, created (and used in Iraq and Afghanistan) to assist snipers in hitting a target from up to 1,000 yards away. Its bullet database boasts most major brands, and the program utilizes the device’s built-in accelerometer, which is able to detect your angle for improved accuracy.
PerDiemCalc – $.99
Perfect for temporary-duty assignments, this per diem calculator will keep your spending right on track. It can be used for one-day trips or longer journeys and includes seasonal per diem rates.
US Military Acronyms and Abbreviations – Free
Released just last week, this pint-sized guide to abbreviated words is great for decoding all sorts of jargon. With it, you’ll know more military terminology common within the DOD (Department of Defense) than you’ve ever imagined possible.
Fart Army – $.99
Considering how many fart apps there are out there, this one was bound to happen. Touting itself as “just not another boring Fart Machine iPhone App,” Fart Army can sputter unfortunate, yet funny noises that sound like air rockets, bazookas, machine guns, mess calls, sonar, sleeping soldiers and more. To hear samples of these and others, view the Fart Army promotional video below.
Oct/090
Recession Boosts Military Enrollment
Although economic hard-times haven’t been so great for some, the U.S. Military’s recruitment office is riding a wave of success. Actually, this year will mark the first time it’s been able to meet enlistment goals since 1973, when the United States put an end to the draft.
The AFP reports that the military’s recipe for success was high unemployment (the largest group of out-of-work Americans in 26 years) mixed in with a multi-billion dollar campaign to attract potential recruits.
The U.S. Army saw the biggest surge—beating its goal of 65,000 by 5,045—while the U.S. Navy (35,500), U.S. Marine Corps (31,400) and U.S. Air Force (31,980) exceeded its goals by 27, 13 and three, respectively.
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