Author: Braxton Taylor
Man, I genuinely don’t know where to start on the new Kuna large-format pistol from Springfield Armory. I guess the name’s a good place: Kuna. It’s not Kona; that’s excellent Hawaiian coffee. As it turns out, “Kuna” refers to the European pine marten, a mustelid (like skunks, badgers or ferrets) common to Eastern Europe, so prevalent in Croatia (home of HS Produkt, the manufacturer of the Kuna pistol) that it was also the name for (and imprinted upon) Croatian currency. It’s small, fierce and (like most mustelids) punches above its weight class. Makes sense why Springfield Armory would want to…
Qualifying life events (QLEs) are situations that allow you to change your Tricare health plan without waiting for the annual open season. QLEs can be a powerful tool to get the right plan without delay. Therefore, it’s worth knowing what counts as a QLE and how the process works.Tricare, like most health care programs, won’t let you switch between plans whenever you feel like it. Generally speaking, you have to wait until the annual open season to be able to switch your health care coverage. Tricare’s open season typically runs from the Monday of the second full week in November…
This week on the show I’m joined by Jake Hofer to preview our brand new podcast mini-series, Back 40, and answer some of the most pressing questions that hunters face when hunting and managing their own Back 40’s. Check out the new Wired to Hunt vintage hat! Connect with Mark Kenyon and MeatEater Mark Kenyon on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to The MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Wired to Hunt Merch and MeatEater Merch Read the full article here
Dirk asked his Instagram followers to send questions regarding elk hunting. No surprise there were some smartypants questions, and some really good serious ones as well. He covers: why the Maverick diaphragm is so much better than the Pink Phelps, early season calling tactics, this year’s broad head of choice, sleep talking, best calls NOT to make, optimizing your elk chuckles, stick with cow calls or switch to bugles when you get a bull to respond, calling to bulls that hang up and or run away, and more. Read the full article here
As his plane exploded in a ball of flames, Leon Crane surveyed his surroundings.Everywhere he looked, Crane, a first lieutenant in the Army Air Forces during World War II, saw snow. What began as a routine maintenance test flight for his B-24 Liberator out of Ladd Field (now Fort Wainwright) in Fairbanks, Alaska, turned tragically wrong after an engine malfunctioned. Reaching speeds exceeding 300 mph, the heavy bomber piloted by Crane and Second Lt. Harold Hoskin spiraled out of control and crashed into a mountaintop on Dec. 21, 1943, according to the National Park Service (NPS).Crane and Master Sgt. Richard…
An Air Force command is temporarily barring the use of issued Sig Sauer sidearms amid an investigation into the death of an airman at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming over the weekend.The active-duty Security Forces airman, assigned to the base’s 90th Security Forces Squadron, “died on base while on duty” in the early morning hours Sunday, a news release from the base said. While the identity of the service member has not yet been made public, nor has the circumstances of their death, Air Force Global Strike Command, or AFGSC, issued an immediate order pausing the use of…
New research has linked exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and Type 2 diabetes — a finding that could have implications for military personnel and families who work around or live on installations contaminated by the chemicals.A small study of patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City found that individuals with higher levels of PFAS in their bloodstreams were more at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. According to the research, published Monday in the eBioMedicine journal, increases in a range of PFAS exposure was associated with a 31% increased risk of developing the disease.Often referred…
A bill aimed at giving veterans easier access to private doctors using Department of Veterans Affairs funding has advanced out of a key House panel after stark partisan debate.Cost issues scuttled a couple of controversial provisions from the GOP-led bill advanced Wednesday compared to the version of the bill that was introduced earlier this year. But the legislation still stoked strong opposition from Democrats accusing Republicans of trying to privatize the VA as Republicans insisted they are trying to give veterans more options in their care.”Veterans don’t need their hands held,” said House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill.,…
The United States will seek to “achieve global dominance” in artificial intelligence under a plan released Wednesday by the White House, which aims to accelerate military adoption, fast-track permits for data centers, support open-source models, and take other steps.The plan was met with approval by some military and technical experts, but others voiced concern about its threats to withhold federal funds from states that restrict AI development or deployment—even limits tied to civil liberties, such as facial-recognition systems.On the military front, the plan declares the United States “must aggressively adopt AI within its Armed Forces if it is to maintain…
The Marine Corps is developing new footwear after it found that a significant percentage of boots Marines were buying had quality issues, resulting in Marine Corps Exchange stores having to return nearly one-quarter of its boot stocks to the manufacturer in at least one case.The Optional Boot Program, which was publicized in a service news release last week, is meant to quickly get high-quality boots to Marines through inspections, fleet feedback, real-world testing and industry competition after COVID-era supply chain issues began rattling quality and inflating prices starting years ago.Over the summer, Marines will test boots that feature lighter materials,…