Duffel Blog

{{Infobox newspaper

|name = Duffel Blog

|image = Duffel Blog icon logo.png

|image_size = 225px

|type = US military parody news organization

|format = Digital

| founder = Paul Szoldra

| chiefeditor = Paul Szoldra

|staff =Various

|foundation = 2012

|ceased publication =

|circulation =

|ISSN =

|website = [http://www.duffelblog.com/ duffelblog.com]

|motto = "The American Military's Most-Trusted News Source"

}}

Duffel Blog is an American military news satire organization featuring satirical articles reporting on national security and US military topics. It is often described as "the military version of The Onion."{{cite news|last=Ackerman|first=Spencer|title=Senate Minority Leader Fooled by Report in Military Version of The Onion|url=https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/02/mcconnell-duffel-blog/|accessdate=19 February 2013|newspaper=Wired.com|date=19 February 2013|archivedate=2013-02-24|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224052515/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/02/incompatible-comms-stealth|url-status=live}} It was founded in March 2012 by Marine veteran Paul Szoldra, originally as a way to drive web traffic to the now defunct website CollegeVeteran.com.

It eventually branched out and became its own entertainment website. The site has a following among civilians, veterans, and servicemen alike. As of 2012, the blog had over 300,000 fans on Facebook and about 40,000 Twitter followers.

Among their spoof articles is one suggesting a speech by the commanding general of Fort Benning resulted in a deadly riot, and another that said uncounted military absentee ballots would have resulted in Mitt Romney winning the 2012 US Presidential Election.{{cite web|title=General's Controversial Graduation Speech|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/brownspeech.asp|work=David Mikkelson|date=18 July 2012 |publisher=Snopes.com|accessdate=8 November 2012|archivedate=2013-02-02|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130202144317/http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/brownspeech.asp|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Military Absentee Ballots|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/absentee.asp|work=Politics {{!}} Satire|date=8 November 2012 |publisher=Snopes.com|accessdate=8 November 2012|archivedate=2013-02-02|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130202183233/http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/absentee.asp|url-status=live}} In November 2012, the site launched an online petition to the White House to lift the services' bans on hands in pockets.{{cite news|last=Harkins|first=Gina|title=Petition asks Obama to OK hands in pockets|url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/prime/2012/11/PRIME-air-force-hands-in-pocket-petition-112512w/|accessdate=27 November 2012|newspaper=Marine Corps Times|date=25 November 2012|archivedate=14 December 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214100827/http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/prime/2012/11/PRIME-air-force-hands-in-pocket-petition-112512w/|url-status=dead}}

The website counts retired Marine General James Mattis, the subject of several Duffel Blog posts, as a fan.{{cite web|url=http://www.armytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013305110004 |title=Duffel Blog: Don't get it? He doesn't care | Army Times |last=Harkins|first=Gina|publisher=armytimes.com |accessdate=2013-05-29|date=11 May 2013}}Londono, Ernesto, "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/duffel-blog-makes-fun-of-military-absurdities--and-has-the-pentagon-laughing-too/2013/12/01/ab5e817c-514e-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html Duffel Blog makes fun of military absurdities — and has the Pentagon laughing, too]", The Washington Post, 8 December 2013; retrieved 9 December 2013. It has also received praise from former Pentagon spokesman George E. Little, various national security journalists, and Scott Dikkers, the founding editor of The Onion.{{Cite web|url=http://www.duffelblog.com/press|title=Press - Duffel Blog|website=Duffelblog.com|access-date=2016-09-09}}

In 2017, Duffel Blog published Mission Accomplished: The Very Best of Duffel Blog, which included a hundred of the best Duffel Blog stories, hand-picked by contributors, along with additional commentary from creator, Paul Szoldra, and a foreword by Terminal Lance creator Maximillian Uriarte.{{Cite web|last=Wolf|first=Mackenzie|date=2017-08-08|title=Mission Accomplished: Duffel Blog releases a book to celebrate five years of humor|url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/03/20/mission-accomplished-duffel-blog-releases-a-book-to-celebrate-five-years-of-humor/|access-date=2020-08-31|website=Military Times|language=en-US}}