A scout team member keeps watch over a nearby town while the main force prepares for movement during the Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise. The EDRE is an exercise designed to test a unit’s ability to alert, recall and deploy under emergency conditions. The Army routinely conducts deployment readiness exercises to assess their ability to provide […]
Green Berets
Gear in the Wild: ‘Sharkies’ are a knife trainer’s best friend
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. – Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit participate in combat knife sparring using “sharkies” during martial arts training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 2, 2018. The sparring exercise allow the Marines to work on close quarters combat knife techniques. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Robert […]
Gear in the Wild: Glock’s 19X on display at the Marine South Exposition
A Glock 19 pistol is displayed during the Marine South Exposition at the Geottege Memorial Field House on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Apr. 11, 2018. The Marine South Exposition is sponsored by the Marine Corps League and is a forum for defense contractors to display, inform, and promote the latest defense equipment and […]
Gear in the Wild: The M1911 in the hands of a Force Recon Marine
A Force Reconnaissance Marine with Maritime Raid Force, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, loads an M1911 .45 caliber pistol in Guam, January 29, 2018, during Visit Board Search and Seizure training. VBSS teaches Marines how to take over ships for searches and counter-piracy operations. As the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, the 31st MEU provides […]
Toe Poppers And MiniFrags: The Little Known Toys Of U.S. Special Forces In Vietnam
This article will speak about two vital weapons that served U.S. Special Forces during their service in the Vietnam War. They were the M-14 Anti-Personnel mine, more commonly known as the “Toe Popper,” and the V40 Mini-Fragmentation Grenade. Over the course of the conflict, these miniature terrors drew much blood against the North Vietnamese Army […]
Watch: What does it take to become a Delta operator?
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 […]
Loadout Room photo of the day | Navy SEALS under cover of darkness
A U.S. Naval Special Warfare operator conducts tactical scenario training in Lithuania during Flaming Sword 17, May 10, 2017. Flaming Sword is an annual Lithuanian-led and hosted SOF exercise which taking place May 2-19, 2017. During the exercise, SOF forces trained on SOF-conventional force integration to include police, border guard and other security forces. Image […]
Jungle Boots | Footwear of the Salty
Before the days of Salomon, Merrell, Oakley (all of which I own and love) and the endless list of boot options available to soldiers (at least in the SOF community), and the “after market” desert boots available to all, there was one venerable, unchallenged boot for the grunt. Few items conjure a nostalgia like seeing […]
VSOC F.O.B | Home Away From Home for SOCOM VETS
For those who are a part or were part of SOCOM, and maybe a busy contractor, being deployed constantly is part of the job. What makes some deployments easier to cope with is where you are going. I don’t mean the theatre of operation but the place itself…the F.O.B. Going to an good F.O.B. is always on the top […]
Think Like a Green Beret: Don’t Stress
Men who become Green Berets have been proven to be less likely to be impacted by stress. Master your stress response and you can perform at higher levels.