While covering a story recently, I had the opportunity to tour some facilities with a number of current and former elite operators hailing from various military branches and government agencies. Although these men may have different abbreviations on their identification cards, the community of people with their unique skill set and level of expertise is […]
Green Berets
Gear in the Wild: Sailors have to fight fires in cramped spaces
A U.S. Sailor leads a hose team during a general quarters drill aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105), July 14, 2018, in the pacific Ocean. Dewey is underway participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC […]
Gear in the Wild: Search and Rescue personnel save lives
South Florida Urban Search and Rescue, Florida Task Force 2, out of Miami, Fla., conduct reconnaissance missions in Bucksport, South Carolina, Sept. 25, 2018, by GPS marking neighborhoods to identify areas and properties that are flooded, as a result of rising waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. These reconnaissance missions are critical for first […]
Gear in the Wild: The fine line between bad camping and a good field op
Participants of the Swedish Basic Winter Warfare Course rest in front of a fire during the course’s culminating event in Arvidsjaur, Sweden, Jan. 23, 2018. Marines from the Black Sea Rotational Force and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with troops from 9 other countries, participated in the Swedish Basic Winter Warfare Course. U.S. […]
Gear in the Wild: It’s getting a little hot around here…
U.S. Marines assigned to Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron conduct fire containment drills at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 12, 2018. The training was conducted in order to maintain proficiency extinguishing aircraft fires in support of the air station’s mission of launching and recovering aircraft. ARFF is a […]
Gear in the Wild: Divers work to recover bodies of lost WWII bomber crew
Per the Department of Defense: Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Eugene P. Ford, killed during World War II, has now been accounted for. On Dec. 17, 1944, Ford was the a member of the 765th Bombardment Squadron, 461st Bombardment Group, 15th Air Force, as the pilot of a B-24J aircraft known as The Tulsamerican. Accompanied […]
Gear in the Wild: The right gear for chemical attacks (or for when you forget your gym bag in the trunk)
U.S. Army Sgt. Cory Sweetman radios back to an operations center during an exercise at Atlantic City International Airport, N.J., Nov. 7, 2018. Sweetman is with the 21st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team (21st WMD-CST), New Jersey National Guard. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht Watch how U.S. […]
Gear in the Wild: Astronaut uncovers relic aboard the International Space Station
A collection of 3.5″ discs that must have been aboard the International Space Station for years were uncovered by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst. Gerst posted his discovery to Twitter: I found a locker on the @Space_Station that probably hasn’t been opened for a while… / Ich habe hier auf der #ISS ein Fach […]
Army recognizes top ten operators from across its special operations community
On June 7, the Army Special Operations Command recognized ten soldiers and civilians from across its special operations units for their distinguished service. Brig. Gen. Harrison Gilliam, the deputy commanding officer of the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center and School, inducted five soldiers into the Special Forces Regiment, two soldiers into the Civil Affairs Regiment, […]
Gear in the Wild: Training to respond to chemical attacks in Florida
U.S. Army Spc. Nicholas Threatte, a chemical decontamination specialist and a native of Darlington, South Carolina, checks radiation levels on a simulated victim of a chemical attack during a training exercise at Homestead Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida. Operation Homestead ’19 was held on January 24, 2019. Spc. Threatte is assigned to the Army Reserve 413th […]