{"id":42808,"date":"2018-04-24T21:05:30","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T21:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:28:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:28:47","slug":"the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/","title":{"rendered":"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This piece of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/off-duty\/gearscout\/\">gear<\/a> can withstand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/off-duty\/military-fitness\/2017\/07\/19\/heat-illness-remains-significant-threat-to-troops-despite-warnings-and-guidance\/\">temps<\/a> between -40 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s designed to go undetected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, according to legend, it can fill in as a 2-inch fuse and be used during emergency tracheotomies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Troops have used it in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2017\/11\/18\/war-zone-deaths-are-up-for-the-first-time-in-six-years\/\">war zones<\/a>, but you can also find it on the desk of federal employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only one piece of equipment can live up to these claims: the <a href=\"http:\/\/nib.org\/sites\/default\/files\/pen\/pen-index.html\">Skilcraft U.S. government pen.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"586\" height=\"430\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pen.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pen.jpg.jpg 586w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pen.jpg.jpg?resize=300,220 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 586px) 100vw, 586px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Skilcraft U.S. government pen has been used from federal offices to war zones. (Courtesy of National Industries for the Blind)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pen with U.S. GOVERNMENT stamped across its sleek black tube was first manufactured in 1968 by blind workers through the National Industries for the Blind \u2014 a result of the 1938 Wagner-O\u2019Day Act that required the government to buy certain products made by blind workers in an effort to create jobs, according to the Washington Post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pen itself was prompted by a 16-page federal specifications document for a retractable ballpoint pen with a replaceable ink cartridge, according to the NIB website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the requirements was that the pen must write continuously for 1 mile in a wide range of temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government pen has even deployed to war zones, designed to fit undetected in military uniforms, according to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/content\/article\/2010\/04\/17\/AR2010041701297.html?sid=ST2010041800259\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wtop.com\/life-style\/2018\/04\/the-surprising-50-year-history-of-the-government-pen\/slide\/1\/\" title=\"\" class=\"selected-link\" target=\"_blank\">WTOP<\/a> reported that the pen has been used in every conflict since Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Happy birthday, trusty pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"497\" height=\"500\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pen-facts.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pen-facts.png.png 497w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pen-facts.png.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pen-facts.png.png?resize=298,300 298w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The government pen had to fit specific federal specifications. (Ultrafacts.tumblr.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The military&#8217;s favorite pen turns 50!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":78315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,68,12,26,13,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3048],"class_list":["post-42808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-military-culture","category-news","category-newsletters","category-off-duty","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"KN4XRTKLONAXRC23NUXN6YWJXE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50 - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The military&#039;s favorite pen turns 50!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The military&#039;s favorite pen turns 50!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-24T21:05:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T03:28:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Charlsy Panzino\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Charlsy Panzino\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-24T21:05:30+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:28:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 257,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/penface.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Military Culture\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Off Duty\",\n\t                \"Your Navy\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50 - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/penface.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-24T21:05:30+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:28:47+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The military's favorite pen turns 50!\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/penface.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/penface.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/24\\\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Navy\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-navy\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50 - Navy Times","description":"The military's favorite pen turns 50!","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50","og_description":"The military's favorite pen turns 50!","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2018-04-24T21:05:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T03:28:47+00:00","author":"Charlsy Panzino","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Charlsy Panzino","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50","datePublished":"2018-04-24T21:05:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:28:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/"},"wordCount":257,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/penface.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Military Culture","News","Newsletters","Off Duty","Your Navy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/","name":"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50 - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/penface.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-24T21:05:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:28:47+00:00","description":"The military's favorite pen turns 50!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/penface.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/penface.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/04\/24\/the-militarys-favorite-pen-turns-50\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Navy","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/","ad_zone":"your-navy"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Say hello to my little pen \u2014 military\u2019s favorite ink stick turns 50"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/penface.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42808"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42812,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42808\/revisions\/42812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42808"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=42808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}