The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
All too often, we tend to associate anger and aggression with masculinity. It’s an excusable mistake, the same hormone cocktail that made me a big, hairy lug also serves as chemical encouragement any time I feel the need to punch my way out of a situation… but if you ask me, a far more appropriate […]
The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program has been the basic hand-to-hand combat system employed by the United States Marine Corps since 2002, and as I’ve written about in the past, it tends to get dragged through the mud by young guys with limited experience and a lot of bravado. In order to complete recruit training, […]
I’ve done a fair amount of traveling over the years. I’ve stood next to pyramids on two continents, wandered around the Coliseum and the Acropolis, gone white water rafting in Alaska and relaxed at a wine tasting in Malta. Que Johnny Cash singing, “I’ve been everywhere,” because, although there’s still plenty of world left to […]
I always have trouble grocery shopping. When I’m wandering down the refrigerator section, staring at what seems to be an endless supply of meat, trying to decide if I want a t-bone or a ribeye for dinner, I start to feel anxious. I stare at and sort through the meat menagerie, each piece wrapped in […]
Out here in the regular world, where law enforcement is just a phone call away and most bars have bouncers employed specifically to break up fights, fist fights tend to be pretty short. A few punches thrown, maybe some poorly executed wrestling, and unless you’re on your way to become an internet celebrity on WorldStar, […]
Clearing a building is among the most treacherous tasks a warfighter can be faced with in a combat zone. A building full of unknown twists, turns, and hiding spots, potentially full of well-armed opponents isn’t anyone’s idea of an easy day, but the reality of modern warfare requires that our service members are experts in […]
In our Selection preparation, we always stress the importance of Rucking and the value that all of the services put on it in the Special Operations community. The services will all stress the 45-pound minimum in training and one of the frequent questions we get is why train with 45-pounds when in reality the amount […]
Across the ages, every great society has celebrated and revered a great warrior tradition and passed on the stories of these heroes in folklore. We can look back to the Spartans, Roman legions, Vikings, knights, Samurai, or Aztecs, and each time we will find that a strong warrior class coincided with a strong nation. The […]
Longtime readers at the Loadout Room will recognize Clint Emerson as the author of the 100 Deadly Skills series of books, which are an invaluable tool for anyone that prizes self reliance and being prepared. For those who may not have run across Emerson’s work in the past, he is one of a few professional […]
Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Delta legend and all around American Hero George E. Hand IV for NEWSREP. (Cover photo: my good bud Robert Horrigan, KIA in Iraq) Close Quarters Battle (CQB), or Close Quarters Combat (CQC) is to the effect about 75% (maybe higher) testicles, and then 25% technique. I don’t like […]