An American multi-purpose canine (MPC) Belgian Malinois was honored for heroism under fire while serving four tours of duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. Shimanski was deployed to Jordan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia during his seven-year career and received the Animals in War and Peace Medal of Bravery for his service, an …
Read More »Wings Over the Jungle: Forward Air Control Heroes in Vietnam
by Friedrich Seiltgen They flew low, slow, and into heavy fire. In Vietnam, Forward Air Controllers were eyes in the sky, helping to prosecute battles, and saving lives with their accurate, real-time intelligence. In the process, three performed with such heroism that they were awarded the Medal of Honor. Here’s …
Read More »Combat in Quan Loi: He Threw Himself on a Grenade to Save 8 Men
by Jose Campos “I thought I was severed in half. There was no pain.” The jungle around Quan Loi erupted that night into an unholy symphony of gunfire. It was February 1970, and the darkness came alive with muzzle flashes from unseen enemy positions, each one a promise of death. …
Read More »Rangers in the Congo: A Deadly Fight Against Mai Mai Militiamen
by Heath Hansen Everything became eerily still, until… it blinked. “ENEMY!” Fils screamed. Then all hell broke loose. The sun was just setting on the thick canopy of trees and bushes surrounding their position. It was a long day of humping through the dense growth; but it had been productive. …
Read More »Little Birds Buzz: Commuting With the 160th SOAR
Here’s one way to get to work without a hassle. Little Birds from the 160th SOAR zip into action. A great way to skip the traffic.
Read More »Fighting Mai Mai Militias in the Congo: The Most Dangerous Place on Earth for Anti-Poaching
A conversation with badass conservationist Tina Lain. by Heath Hansen Christine (Tina) Lain works at the Upemba National Park located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These are some of the most dangerous places on earth for conservation; in one area alone, more than 200 Rangers have been killed …
Read More »Col. Nick Rowe: Long-Ago Conversations With a Special Forces Legend
by Susan Katz Keating “There’s a certain sound…” The song stuck with him for years afterwards. He was being marched to his execution in the jungles of Vietnam, and had been ordered to carry a radio to pick up “Radio Hanoi,” but he secretly dialed in to a station that …
Read More »The Badass UFC Fighters From the Caucasus
“We are a tough people, we used to have war all the time. Fighting is in our DNA.” At a major international fighting event this year, all four athletes competing for world championship titles hailed from the Caucasus. The event, UFC 311, which was held in California on Jan. 18, …
Read More »US Soldiers Patrol the Southern Border with Stryker Power
by Jose Campos Against the rugged expanse of the East Presidio sector, U.S. soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, rolled forward in a Stryker armored vehicle, patrolling a landscape that has become a frontline in America’s ongoing border security operations. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, these troops …
Read More »Badass Pilot Wrestles Plane to a Landing When Canopy Shatters Mid-Flight
What do you do when your aircraft canopy shatters in flight? “Keep flying,” Dutch aerobat Narine Melkumjan says. She took to social media to share the video of herself doing just that during the “distressing” experience, hoping that her fellow pilots would take note. A couple of years ago during …
Read More »
Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers

