A look at patriotic military equipment over the years: Weapon of the week

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TIME NOW FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, AND AS AMERICA CELEBRATES ITS 248TH INDEPENDENCE DAY, WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE FUN TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE U-S MILITARY’S MORE PATRIOTICALLY THEMED VESSELS, VEHICLES AND WEAPONS. 

BRIAN, CAN I GET SOME PROPERLY PATRIOTIC MUSIC, PLEASE?

PERFECT, LET’S GET TO IT. 

FIRST UP THE USS CONSTITUTION, ALSO KNOWN AS OLD IRONSIDES! THE WORLD’S OLDEST COMMISSIONED WARSHIP, STILL AFLOAT, WAS LAUNCHED IN 1797 AND NAMED BY GEORGE WASHINGTON. RETIRED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE IN 1881, SHE MOST RECENTLY OPERATED UNDER HER OWN POWER IN 2012. 

SPEAKING OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, MEET THE USS WASHINGTON, NAMED AFTER OUR COUNTRY’S 42nd STATE THIS VIRGINIA CLAS NUCLEAR-POWERED ATTACK SUBMARINE IS THE SEVENTH CRAFT TO CARRY THE NAM ITS MOTTO IS PRESERVING PEACE, PREPARED FOR WAR. 

NEXT UP THE U-S-S AMERICA. COMMISSIONED IN 2014, THIS AMERICA CLASS AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP IS THE FOURTH NAVYSHIP TO SAIL UNDER THE NAME. BUILT TO LEAD AN EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP, SHE MEASURES 844 FEET AND CAN CARRY NEARLY 1,700 MARINES. 

CRUISING RIGHT BEHIND IS THE USS FREEDOM. WITH A HOME PORT IN SAN DIEGO, THE FREEDOM IS THE THIRD SHIP TO CARRY THE NAME. LAUNCHED IN 2008, THIS LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP SAILED FOR 13 YEARS BEFORE BEING DECOMMISSIONED IN 2021 AND PLACED IN RESERVE STATUS.  

OF COURSE, WHERE THERE’S FREEDOM, THERE ARE PATRIOTS AND THIS IS THE USS PATRIOT. THIS AVENGER CLASS MINE COUNTERMEASURES SHIP WAS LAUNCHED IN 1990 AND COMMISSION IN ‘91. DUE TO ITS VERY SPECIFIC MISSION, THE FREEDOM’S HULL IS MADE OF WOOD AND FIBERGLASS, SO IT DOESN’T TRIGGER MAGNETIC MINES. 

WHILE THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS ARE THE MOST PROLIFIC WITH THE PATRIOTIC THEME, THE AIR FORCE AND ARMY HAVE A FEW TO THEIR CREDIT AS WELL.

WITH A PRODUCTION PERIOD OF JUST FOUR YEARS, THE B-24 LIBERATOR LEFT ITS MARK ON AMERICAN HISTORY. USED PRIMARILY OVER THE SKIES OF EUROPE AND THE PACIFIC IN WORLD WAR TWO, THE B-24 WAS A HEAVY BOMBER AND STILL HOLDS THE RECORD AS THE WORLD MOST PRODUCED MULTI-ENGINE BOMBER, WITH MORE THAN 18 THOUSAND ROLLING OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE.

FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS, AND THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-15 EAGLE FILLS A LARGE ROLE IN AMERICA’S DEFENSE PLANS. BORN FROM LESSONS LEARNED EARLY IN THE VIETNAM WAR, THE EAGLE IS A TWIN-ENGINE ALL-WEATHER FIGHTER JET. DURING THE FIRST GULF WAR, THE EAGLE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 36 OF 39 AIR FORCE AIR-TO-AIR VICTORIES OVER IRAQI FORCES.

FINALLY, WE END WITH ANOTHER PATRIOT, THIS ONE IS THE ARMY’S M-I-M 1-OH-4 PATRIOT. A SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE SYSTEM. BUILT BY RAYTHEON, THE PATRIOT IS ONE OF THE DOD’S FIRST DEFENSE SYSTEMS TO USE LETHAL AUTONOMY. FOR MOST AMERICANS, THEIR INTRODUCTION TO THE PATRIOT CAME IN 1991 WHEN IRAQ LAUNCHED DOZENS OF SCUD MISSILES AT SAUDI ARABIA AND ISRAEL, AND THE PATRIOT INTERCEPTED 41 OF 42 TARGETS. 

AND THOSE ARE OUR WEAPONS OF THE WEEK. FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS JUST A PARTIAL ACCOUNTING, SO IF WE MISS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES, BE SURE TO LET US KNOW AND SEND A NOTE TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE AT S-A-N DOT COM.