Dwight Jon Zimmerman
DWIGHT JON ZIMMERMAN has written extensively on military-history subjects for American Heritage, the Naval Institute Press, Vietnam Magazine, and numerous military-themed publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Stories by Dwight Jon Zimmerman
Centennial of Naval Aviation: Carriers at War
Published in Naval under Defense Issues, Defense Technology, Featured, History, Print Edition with no comments
For almost seventy years, the pre-eminent symbol of a nation’s sea power has been the aircraft carrier. Today nine nations are members of the aircraft carrier fraternity (with China presumably about to become ...more »
Sgt. Stubby: American War Dog
Published in Land Forces under Featured, History with no comments
The use of dogs in war has a history reaching back to ancient times. The most famous American war dog was a four-legged hero of World War I named Sgt. Stubby.
Sgt. Stubby was ...more »
Tasers on Steroids and More: 21st Century Non-Lethal Electrical Shock Weapons
Published in Defense Wide under Defense Technology, Featured with no comments
The Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) at Quantico, Va., is the go-to place for weapons designed to do everything but kill an adversary. One JNLWD program is the Human Electromuscular ...more »
Above and Beyond the Call of Duty in Iraq: Spec. Ross Andrew McGinnis, USA
Published in Land Forces under Defense Issues, Featured with 1 comment
“You know, I never really pictured what a Medal of Honor winner is supposed to look like. I would think of someone like a John Wayne character from the movies. Where the guy ...more »
Shout Them Down: 21st Century Acoustic Weapons
Published in Defense Wide under Defense Technology, Featured with no comments
“So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, ...more »
The One-eyed, One-legged Pigeon Who Won the Croix de Guerre
Published in Land Forces under Featured, History with no comments
Battlefield communications between frontline units and headquarters during World War I were a study in contrasts. Co-existing with the new technologies of wireless radio and telephone land lines were methods as ancient as ...more »
“Set Lasers on Stun”
Published in Defense Wide under Defense Technology, Featured with no comments
In the 23rd century, Capt. James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise famously (and routinely) ordered his crew to “set phasers on stun” against unarmed or lightly-armed attackers. In the early 21st century, ...more »
U.S. Special Operations Command Year in Review: High Demand, Global Presence
Published in Defense Wide under Defense Issues, Defense Technology, Featured, Print Edition with 2 comments
It was a very busy 2009 for American special operations. As Adm. Eric T. Olson, commander, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM, more commonly known as Special Operations Command, or SOCOM) noted, “While ...more »
Courage Under Fire: The Day Lt. Gen. Walton Walker Defied General of the Army Douglas MacArthur
Published in Land Forces under Featured, History with no comments
In the fall of 1950, the United Nations forces in Korea under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur seemed about to achieve one of the greatest turnaround victories in military history. In July ...more »
Above and Beyond the Call of Duty: Gen. George Marshall Obtains the Medal of Honor for Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Published in Defense Wide under History with 6 comments
On March 25, 1942, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall sent a memorandum to President Franklin Roosevelt marked “Secret.” The subject line read: “Medal of Honor, General Douglas MacArthur.”
The memo contained ...more »
