They were the irreverent misfits of a military YouTube creator's fan forum who regrouped in a chatroom known as Thug Shaker Central - named for a meme taken from a gay porn video they often used for shock and laughs.
Now, they are linked to a devastating leak of U.S. intelligence: a set of highly classified documents exposing American espionage and secret assessments of the Ukraine war, some posted months ago in an unmoderated corner of the internet where anyone with an invite could see them.