For a lot of Americans of my generation, YouTube has come to serve as a sort of replacement for the antiquated (but still trudging along) cable television model. Where I used to rely on TV channels to curate the most entertaining content and transmit it to my little screen, I’ve now come to rely on certain YouTube channels that I’ve come to trust as informative, entertaining, or (preferably) both.
Because I’ve managed to fall headlong into the luckiest career ever (who else can say they sit around watching YouTube and reading books for a living?) I’ve curated a short list of YouTube creators that I feel I can count on to offer a factually accurate and largely objective analysis into the world we live in. You’d really be surprised at just how much you can learn with little more than a decent internet connection, some time to kill, and a willingness to seek out good information.
So whether I’m writing a deep-dive into the Quds Force for our friends at We Are the Mighty, a historical breakdown of the Saturn V for Popular Mechanics, or trying to convince you that we should start strapping missiles to cargo ships right here on the Homefront, my research process often starts with YouTube. That’s not to say that I rely on whatever I see or hear to be factually accurate — every message has a motive, after all. Instead, it gives me a chance to cover a great deal of ground really quickly, jotting down notes about topics or people I want to devote more research to as I develop my thesis and start hashing out my outline.
So, whether you’re writing a term paper for college, a pitch to send in to Sandboxx News, or your idea of a good time is learning stuff about the military (my kind of person), these YouTube channels are a great place to start. Remember though, watching a video doesn’t alleviate your need to research yourself — these guys and gals are credible for the most part, but we all make mistakes from time to time.
The best YouTube channels for military content
Dark Docs
Dark Docs has been around since 2017, and since then, they’ve expanded their one channel into a number of partnered channels with similar goals and more specific content lanes. Their videos are usually well researched and easily digestible, which makes this channel a go-to for me as a way to binge-watch an evening away.
Crash Course
While not technically a military specific channel, Crash Course offers an incredible variety of easy-to-follow lessons spanning everything from Astronomy to Literature. In particular, I recommend their U.S. History, Big History, and U.S. Government and Politics courses to help you develop a thorough understanding not just of the conflicts that have shaped our world, but of the external factors that directly led to, and informed, those conflicts.
The Team House
Jack Murphy and David Parke’s streaming show The Team House offers a rare glimpse into the reality of America’s most clandestine operations. Murphy and Parke, both Special Operations veterans themselves, not only deliver with great guests each week, but they offer an incredible insight into the minds of America’s special operations warriors and intelligence operatives. In the video above, you can check out their interview with Sandboxx’s own Delta Force legend, George Hand. You can also read our interview with the host and former Green Beret and Army Ranger, Jack Murphy, here.
AiirSource Military
This YouTube channel has been around since way back in 2011, and continues to deliver authentic military content sourced directly from within America’s Department of Defense. Most of the content you’ll find on this channel comes from military public affairs channels, packaged and posted conveniently on YouTube for us to get our military nerd on. If you want to see how things really go in the military, it’s tough to beat genuine footage pulled straight from the field.
Sandboxx
Come on… how could I pass up an opportunity to plug our own YouTube channel? We’ve been expanding our YouTube inventory to include incredible stuff from like this series from U.S. Air Force F-35 pilot, Justin Lee, and that’s just the beginning. Aside from staring at my ugly mug each week, we’ve got great stuff inbound from every corner of military service — from Special Operations warfighters to military spouses doing their part on the home front, and everything in between. Make sure to subscribe so you won’t miss a thing!
Read more from Sandboxx News:
- MRBALLEN: THE FORMER NAVY SEAL WHO TELLS SCARY STORIES ON YOUTUBE
- WATCH 4 YOUTUBERS TRY TO SURVIVE MARINE RECRUIT TRAINING
- COULD YOU BE A MILITARY SPOUSE INFLUENCER?
- 4 GREAT MILITARY MOVIES TO WATCH THIS 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND
- THIS VIDEO WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO BECOME A NAVY SEAL
This article was originally published 9/2/2020
