CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JAPAN U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ethan Small, a reconnaissance Marine assigned to Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, simulates attacking a target through a window while rappelling down a rappel tower on Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan, April 14, 2016. Prior to each deployment, the 31st MEU is thoroughly trained in […]
Men's Lifestyle
Streamlight Stylus Pro 360 | Compact and Multifaceted
In my of line work as an EMS helicopter pilot, having a durable and reliable light at night is paramount. Whether I am conducting pre-flight, post-flight or just a walk-around in between hops. I need a light that is bright enough to see what I am doing but not so bright that it could be […]
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 11.20.2017
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 11.20.2017 We’re going to kick Monday and the new week off right, and we’ll do it with a UBRR preparation. Start off with pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, pull-ups, and dips before a 5-mile run. Remember to stay hydrated and mark your progress in […]
Loadout Room photo of the day | Recon Marines Take to the Skies of Afghanistan
CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN A U.S. Marine assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division (Forward), fixes his night vision goggles after jumping out of a C-130 over Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, Oct. 5. The operation was designed to focus on military parachuting, reconnaissance patrolling and maintenance of parachute insert proficiency. The unit is deployed […]
The Vertx EDC Gamut | A Low Profile Backpack
If you have been reading the Loadout Room’s mission items, you might have noticed a theme of late, some call it being the grey man, some call it low profile operations, non-permissive, or it is just a way of life by blending into the environment. If you travel to NY City or any major metropolitan […]
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 11.19.2017
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 11.19.2017 Sunday morning rucksack march. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out. Head out over varied terrain and try to go as fast as you can for 6 miles without running. Stretch well both before and after the event. Remember to still push water during […]
Loadout Room photo of the day | Recon Marines Take to the Skies of Afghanistan
CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN U.S. Marines assigned to Force Reconnaissance, Bravo Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division (Forward), wait to conduct a High-Altitude High-Opening jump at the flightline aboard Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan, Oct. 7. The jump operation was designed to focus on military parachuting, reconnaissance patrolling and maintenance of parachute insert proficiency. The unit is […]
Loadout Room photo of the day | Maintaining marksmanship: Force Recon Marines fire away
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, UNITED STATES Marines from force reconnaissance platoon, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, shoot rounds from .45-caliber pistols during close quarter tactics shooting at the Kaneohe Bay range training facility, May 13. Capt. Brian VanHoose, the platoon commander and a native of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, said their shooting drills are practice for […]
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 11.17.2017
Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 11.17.2017 Friday, that must mean its Leg Day at the gym but instead of a long run at the finish of that, we’ll substitute the Shuttle run in there, to work on your speed today. For those who don’t have ropes available to them in the prep, substitute the […]
Book Review: “War Stories of the Green Berets” by Hans Halberstadt
Frequently, we get emails or tweets here at SpecialOperations.com in the realm of questions about the training and the qualification course. Many of course deal with Selection and I have to tell people that the Instructors don’t actually kill anyone during the events and one doesn’t have to be 10-feet tall to pass. But one […]