For the dysfunctional, disgruntled, and salty soldiers
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has released a sweeping update to its grooming and appearance policy, aiming to eliminate ambiguity and bring uniformity across the force. But while the Army insists the directive is about clarity, early reactions from soldiers and leaders alike suggest it’s done anything but. The new directive, officially titled Army Directive…
An airman assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base who was found dead earlier this month has been publicly identified as Staff Sergeant Lonzell Bryant, 25, of Andalusia, Alabama. According to base officials, Bryant was discovered deceased at his off-base residence on Tuesday, September 2. He served as an aerospace propulsion craftsman with the 28th Maintenance…
ALEXANDRIA, VA – A former U.S. Army private was sentenced Friday to 15 years in federal prison for two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of sexual abuse stemming from incidents that occurred in 2012 and 2013 while he was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Austin Blair Johnson, 35, pleaded…
Three active-duty U.S. military personnel are under scrutiny after publicly mocking, celebrating, or implicitly justifying the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The backlash has grown loud enough to prompt a direct response from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who called the conduct “completely unacceptable.” Marine Officer Recruiter Toasts Kirk’s Death With Beer Emojis Captain…
A chaotic lockdown at the U.S. Naval Academy on Thursday evening was triggered by online threats traced to a disgraced former midshipman, Navy officials confirmed. The event, which ended with a midshipman being shot by security forces, has since been declared under control with no credible threat to the academy. Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s office…
Near the windswept desert of Twentynine Palms, California — home to one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the world — a military couple is attracting national attention. But it’s not for valor, deployment stories, or veteran entrepreneurship. It’s for their involvement in a controversial and highly explicit online venture that’s challenging the boundaries…
Army Specialist Brandon “Ate Up” Storey—previously exposed by a Colorado-based child predator hunting group—appeared in El Paso County Courtroom A this morning for a pretrial conference that quickly shifted to a guilty plea deal. Storey, wearing his U.S. Army uniform, waited on the courtroom bench flanked by a noncommissioned officer from Fort Carson as his…
While the rest of his unit are prepping rucks and packing duffel bags, one Army Staff Sergeant won’t be showing up for mobilization — because he’s currently in a Missouri jail for allegedly raping his 9-year-old daughter. SSG Brian Thomas Criss, a Reservist assigned to the 428th Transportation Company (Missouri Army Reserve), was supposed to…
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — The Army has identified Pvt. Andrey Okunev, 18, as the soldier who died during a training incident at Fort Leonard Wood on September 5. Okunev was assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment, and was participating in rifle range training when he sustained what officials described as a…
Editor’s Note: The claims made in this article regarding drill sergeant misconduct and the nature of the Soldier’s death are based on statements from an anonymous source who identifies as both an active duty Soldier and family member of a trainee within the affected unit. At the time of publication, The Salty Soldier has not…