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The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 118 · Sunday, 4 October 2026

Navy & Marines

Paste-eating Marine praised for unmatched commitment to unit

Unit leaders say his ability to stick with the mission is unmatched

Backed-up toilet appointed new Secretary of the Army

Space Force’s new uniform puts a little goose back in the step

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Vol. 15 · No. 118

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Duffel Blog

Established 2012 · Deployed worldwide

Vol. 15 · No. 118 · Deployed worldwide

Sunday

4 October 2026

2109 Zulu

Next edition Monday

← Front page
· Page 2

Soldier submits award packet to Chinese hackers after S1 delays

Filed · 1537

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Fed up with the Army's slow awards process, a Fort Bragg sergeant opted to submit his packet to Chinese hackers instead and was surprised to find success.

“I had run out of options,” explains Staff Sgt. James Patterson of the 82nd Airborne. “S1 was running me in circles about my ARCOM and I was about to rage-retire like Sgt. Maj. Chandler.”

Patterson escalated by copying China’s infamous Unit 61398 on his award request emails. Soon after the People’s Liberation Army had created a help-ticket and followed up with him.

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