Rumor Doctor blog archive

Did the Army move Fort Irwin's front gate to shortchange soldiers?

Many soldiers train at Fort Irwin, Calif., before heading downrange because the terrain is so rough and inhospitable that it easily passes for Iraq or Afghanistan. Those who’ve been there may have heard that the base front gate was moved closer to the nearest city so that soldiers would not be eligible for a special pay to compensate them for being in the middle of nowhere.

That may sound far-fetched, but considering that the U.S. government came close to halting troops’ paychecks altogether during the recent budget showdown, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility. 

Is the American flag flown at Guantanamo Bay?



Will SEALs get secret awards for killing bin Laden?

The SEALs fight in the shadows, so the names of the special operators who killed Osama bin Laden will likely remain secret for the foreseeable future. But is it possible any awards they might receive for the mission would also be kept secret?

That’s what the Associated Press speculated in a recent story; however, an alert reader told The Rumor Doctor that in his 23-year career in the Army, he’s never heard of a secret award, prompting The Doctor to peer into the dark.

Did a Mississippi town beat the Westboro Baptist Church?

It sounded too good to be true, and it was.
