In addition to being featured on the cover of Reserve & National Guard Magazine’s November/December print edition, Green Beret and former MMA fighter Tim Kennedy was also the subject of the year’s most-read online article.
Below you’ll be able to revisit that story and even more of our most loved articles over the past 12 months – from facts about those who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns to Bea Arthur’s Marine Corps service and more.
MMA star Tim Kennedy reacts to outcry over images of the Guard in DC
Master Sgt. Tim Kennedy, who currently serves in the Texas National Guard’s Special Operations Detachment, splashed into the spotlight early in 2021 with a viral tweet about photos of National Guard members sleeping on the marble floors of the Capitol building after the January 6 riots.
A different guard: 6 facts about the Tomb Guard who protects Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknowns
An American soldier will always be “walking the mat” at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. For 24 hours a day, seven days a week since 1937 there has always been a guard on watch. No other special assignment has such strict standards.
Units press on with annual training requirements
While this summer’s National Guard Annual Training will still focus on preparing soldiers and airmen to be “Always Ready, Always There” — both near and afar — AT plans for many of the 54 units across the country look a little different in these unprecedented times.
Statistics show females are still struggling to pass ACFT
More than seven months after the official launch of the Army Combat Fitness Test, nearly half of female soldiers are still falling short, with enlisted women struggling the most.
USO boosts Guard morale in DC with hot meals, support services
USO spent time in Washington D.C. in January to ensure more than 20,000 National Guard members feel appreciated — and full. While soldiers provided enhanced safety and protection as part of the 59th presidential inauguration preparation and festivities, the military support organization boosted morale with burgers and more.
Bea Arthur’s Marine Corps service ‘evidence of badassery’
Fellow Marines surely were thankful that Bernice Frankel was a friend, traveling down the road and back again – as a truck driver in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve during World War II. Frankel – better known as Bea Arthur – portrayed the brazen Dorothy Zbornak on “The Golden Girls” and staunch feminist “Maude” as that show’s namesake. She denied her service while alive, but service records confirm she was, in fact, a friend and a confidant for the U.S. Marine Corps.
A military mom’s inside tips for attending family day and graduation
Writer Nancy Craker-Yahman shared tips for fellow military mothers as she looked back on her visit to an Army base to watch her son officially earn the title of soldier.
New legislation impacts guardsmen and reservists, their families
The 116th Congress passed a significant amount of legislation in 2020 addressing economic, education, employment, and health care matters for service members, veterans, and their families, including new or expanded benefits for guardsmen and reservists.
How to Make the Cut in the Military
Revisit a breakdown of grooming standards for each branch of the military.
Should you volunteer or wait to be voluntold?
Deployments are a fact of life in the military. No matter what branch you serve for, your number is likely to get called at some point. Writer Ryan Guina shares his experiences and the differences between volunteering and being told you’ll deploy.
