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 […]
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Watch: US Marines train in a live fire shoot house
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 […]
‘Murphy’s Law’ — Covering the war against ISIS alongside the Peshmerga
An excerpt from the new book, “Murphy’s Law: My Journey from Ranger and Green Beret to Investigative Journalist“ Another story developed when a fixer we had hired to help translate informed us that there was a big battle going down early the next morning near Kirkuk. No way were we going to pass that up. […]
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 […]
To Hell and back: The 2019 Marine Raider Competition
On June 12, Marines from across the Marine Corps’ special operations units gathered in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to participate in the 2019 Marine Raider Competition. Six teams, each comprised of six spec ops Marines, competed for the glory of being awarded the title of best Marine Raider. The six teams hailed from the 1st […]
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. […]
Former Delta Force soldier’s opinion on hand to hand combat and combat physical training
Editor’s note: This article was written by legendary Delta operator and personal hero of mine, George E. Hand IV. (Feature Image: Delta’s Patrick A. McNamara, author of Combat Strength Training) (Dedicated to my brother LPD256; love ya madly) This essay we shall, for the sake of the political season, refer to as my ‘Concession Speech.’ […]
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 […]