Leaders at all levels, from privates to generals, are ultimately responsible for success or failure on the battlefield. A huge part of preparing for combat is making sure the myriad of equipment, vehicles and weapons used by soldiers can perform when needed. That also extends to supply and logistics functions, the lifeblood of all combat operations.
PS Magazine is partnering with The Company Leader! Our mission is to inform soldiers and leaders across the Army on proper care and maintenance. Expanding our reach through this site will do just that. Check out our landing page HERE for more great resources.
Any proper Maintenance Monday involves soldiers getting hands-on in the motor pool, with their technical manuals in easy reach. TMs are a wealth of information, but they sometimes have missing or outdated information or need clarification. That’s where PS Magazine lends a hand.
PS Magazine marked its 70th anniversary this past June. That’s seven decades of providing Army maintainers, supply specialists, unit leaders, and individual warfighters with the information they need to achieve high rates of operational readiness and avoid wasteful spending, as well as keep soldiers safe and combat ready.
A Brief History of PS Magazine
Not so long ago PS: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly, known by most soldiers simply as PS Magazine, could be spotted in motor pools, supply shops and day rooms. The illustrated, 64-page monthly—with its cast of characters such as Half-Mast, Connie, Bonnie and others—was known for its mix of often-humorous cartoons and technical information. It was meant to both entertain and educate, a job it did well starting in the early days of the Korean War (though its origin can be traced back to World War II with Army Motors magazine).
Will Eisner, the name most closely associated with PS Magazine, was already an established comic writer and illustrator (having created Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, and The Spirit) when he was drafted into the Army in 1942. Eisner was assigned to the newly created Army Motors magazine, where he created the square-jawed Half-Mast and the vivacious Connie Rodd. MSG Half-Mast McCanick had the distinction of being the only Soldier in the Army to wear a name tape with his first rather than last name. Corporal Rodd began her Army career as a mechanic, though she would later become a civilian. Half-Mast’s look would evolve over the decades (but he stayed the same rank) and Connie would become more modest in dress and manner, befitting the times. The one thing that stayed the same was their expertise in all things related to combat readiness.
MSG Half-Mast and Connie – Past and Present
When the Korean War started, the Army contracted Eisner—now a civilian again—to illustrate and lay out a new publication called PS: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly. Where Army Motors had been mostly a conventional, text-heavy magazine with technical illustrations, photographs and a few cartoons sprinkled in, PS Magazine was a full-fledged comic book. It quickly became a hit with the troops and while it sometimes raised the ire of superiors with its gentle irreverence, the magazine proved indispensable in the field.
From the start, Department of the Army civilians wrote, researched, and edited PS Magazine. Various editors have managed the magazine throughout the years. Over its 70 years, it’s also been illustrated by a succession of well-regarded sequential artists, such as Murphy Anderson, Scott Madsen and Joe Kubert. First located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, it has moved several times since. In June 1993, it moved to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where it remains, a part of US Army Sustainment Command.
The magazine has undergone seismic format changes in recent years. June 2017 saw its last printed issue. The familiar 64-page cartoon publication would continue on a monthly basis, but only online and via smart-phone app. In December of 2019, PS Magazine completely replaced the cartoon-illustrated monthly with a fully-online magazine. No more mobile app and no more cartoons, though the magazine’s iconic characters remain. All content is now published directly to PS Magazine’s mobile-friendly website, located at https://www.psmagazine.army.mil.
Many readers have responded to the loss of the cartoons with dismay. But publishing direct to the web offers major advantages. It enables the writing team to post articles much faster than before and on a continual basis. The search functionality is far more robust and yields immediate results. Moving online makes it easier for us to make updates, and to categorize and segment to meet our readers’ needs. The web format also allows for new types of articles, such as leader interviews and spotlight profiles of soldiers who set the standard for exemplary PMCS.
PS Magazine’s 1st Edition, June 1951 (left) and today’s web portal (right)
PS Magazine Today: Some Things to Know
While PS Magazine’s format is noticeably different now than it was a few years ago, the guts of the publication remain unchanged. The website offers a few features to optimize the user experience. This is in the pursuit of enhanced unit, fleet, and personnel readiness. Here’s some things that will help you get the most out of PS:
- One of the most important features is the Articles tab in the website’s navigation menu. Click on it and you’ll find more than 90 pages (and growing) of content. To narrow your search, you can click on a category on the left side of the page. You can also search for specific terms such as “Stryker,” “M4 carbine,” “NVG,” etc. Also, the PS Magazine staff is currently working to aggregate content by fleet or platform. Just click on the Fleet tab in the navigation menu.
- The search function on the website only provides results for content that appears on the website. But it’s still possible to search the older, now archived monthly issues of the magazine. To execute that search, click on the Archive/Index tab in the navigation menu. Under the Legacy/Archive heading, there are instructions on how to access a separate site to search every monthly issue from 1999 through 2019. There are also links to current and past indexes (1999 through 2019) to search for specific topics.
- The magazine has a recognition program called I Own This. Its purpose is to spotlight warfighters of all services who exemplify the highest standards of care for their assigned vehicles and equipment and contribute in meaningful ways to their unit’s overall maintenance and supply posture. In short, they live and breathe readiness. Consider nominating a peer, subordinate, or superior who models readiness through exceptional care for their vehicles and equipment.
- Much of PS Magazine’s content originates from its readers. It has always provided the opportunity for readers to submit questions, and offer ideas, suggestions for improvement, or best practices. Examples of what readers submit to PS Magazine include something that doesn’t make sense to them in a technical manual, uncertainty about maintenance or supply policy, needing the latest national stock number, or suggesting better ways to maintain equipment. The magazine’s staff are writer-editors, not equipment specialists. We send every inquiry to the appropriate life-cycle management command, commodity owner, subject-matter expert, or policy office for review. They’re the ones with the expertise to accurately respond to the question. They are the ones to validate and endorse any suggestion or best practice. To submit either a question or an idea, simply click on the Submit Questions and Ideas tab on the website’s navigation bar.
PS Magazine: A Leader’s Partner in Readiness
Leaders at all levels need to make fully-informed decisions that ensure soldiers, weapons, vehicles and equipment are fully mission-capable. Leaders are responsible for sustaining required operational readiness rates. That’s where you’ll find PS Magazine’s true value. The publication is a great partner to leaders tasked with keeping soldiers and equipment combat-ready.
One of the disadvantages of being fully online is that we’re less immediately visible to our readers. We have to rely on soldiers and maintainers coming to us. That can be challenging when there’s limited or no Wi-Fi. Insufficient data plans are another challenge to limit soldiers’ ability to access the magazine on a regular basis. In short, we have to rely on leaders, especially those at the company-and-below level. They are the ones who make sure their troops know PS Magazine still exists, where they can access it, and how to use it.
AR 700-138, Army Logistics Readiness and Sustainability, states that “review of PS Magazine will be a regular part of unit readiness initiatives.” This mandate is often easier said than done. Making it happen requires leaders to be innovative in aiding their soldiers to access the magazine. Perhaps, units can have a computer in a common area specifically dedicated to the viewing of the magazine.
In terms of soldiers knowing how to effectively employ PS Magazine online, units can request a virtual orientation (using the Defense Collaboration Service or MS Teams) by the magazine’s editor or other staff by emailing usarmy.redstone.asc.mbx.psmag@mail.mil (please put “Request for PS Magazine Orientation” in the subject line).
One of MSG Half-Mast’s favorite questions is, “Would you stake your life, right now, on the condition of your equipment?” To ensure your soldiers and unit can answer “Yes” with confidence, make reading PS Magazine a routine habit.
Steve Reeves has been with PS Magazine since 2012. Previously, he was a reporter at several newspapers, including the Charleston (SC) Post and Courier and the Birmingham (AL) Post Herald. He also served in the National Guard and Army Reserve as an MLRS crewman and public affairs NCO. Steve writes primarily about combat vehicles for the magazine