by Martin Kufus Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from Plow the Dirt but Watch the Sky, a memoir by Martin Kufus, a former editor at Soldier of Fortune. This chapter shows Martin’s experience at the Special Forces SERE Instructor Qualification Course, where he encountered the legendary Col. Nick Rowe – …
Read More »A Nuclear Blast Would Bring Hell on Earth: Blinding Light, Searing Heat, and Intense Winds
The degree of hazard depends on the type of weapon, height of the burst, distance from the detonation, hardness of the target, and explosive yield of the weapon. by Susan Katz Keating Russian President Vladimir Putin again raised the specter of nuclear war this week when he announced that his …
Read More »Shooting on the Move: Tactical Training That Saves Lives
The benefits of training to shoot while moving. by Gary Paul Johnston Traditionally, cops have been trained to shoot while standing still. By now it should be pretty clear where this is going, and going should be the name of the game when the going gets tough. When I became …
Read More »Trapped Inside a Tank, This Soldier Cut Off His Own Leg to Save the Injured Crew
Specialist Ezra Maes and his two armor crew teammates were jolted awake by their M1A2 Abrams tank as it rolled downhill at nearly 90 mph with them inside. The sheer force of the vehicle hitting an embankment threw Maes from his position, and his right leg was immediately pinned down …
Read More »Green Berets Train to Survive Mountain Warfare
The mountains above Bridgeport, California, have been home to mountain warfare survival training for Special Forces, Marines, and others. In this frosty vid, Green Berets with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) partner with United Arab Emirates Special Operations to conduct long range reconnaissance training at the U.S. Marine Corps …
Read More »‘Miracle on the Hudson’: Sully Sullenberger Saved 150 Airline Passengers During Emergency Water Landing
In what will forever be known as The Miracle on the Hudson, Sully Sullenberger and his crew saved the lives of 150 passengers after being forced to splash down in the frigid Hudson River. After logging more than 20,000 hours of flight time Sullenberger became internationally renowned on January 15, …
Read More »‘Mayday! Clear All Airspace Below Us!’ When the Plane Lost Pressure in Flight: A Pilot’s Story
We were leaning over the throttles, breaking the seals on our masks, and yelling at each other. by Mitchell “Taco” Bell To all my passenger friends out there who always text me with the crazy pilot questions, I can assure you as pilots we train for this stuff all the …
Read More »Nine Months of Hell in Mariupol: How This Real-Life Rambo Survived, Resisted, and Escaped Captivity
By John Spencer As I sat in a clean, elegant café in downtown Kyiv it was nearly impossible for me to comprehend the story I was being told. My interviewee was a quiet, humble former active-duty Ukrainian Marine from Mariupol named Gennadiy (or Gena for short). But while Gena was …
Read More »This Coast Guard Crew Worked All Night to Rescue People From Floodwaters On Christmas Eve, 1955
Their helicopter was never shut down, and had to be “hot-fueled” while the engine was running. Shortly after midnight on Christmas Eve, 1955, a levee on California’s Feather River collapsed, sending a 21-foot wall of water into Yuba City. Terrified flood victims who huddled on rooftops or clinging to tree …
Read More »Escape From Kherson: A Journey Through Bombs and Anarchy
by Aleksander Palikot DUDCHANY, Ukraine — A group of people rushed down a dusty road toward a worn-out white minibus parked by a bombed-out school in this Kherson region village, split in half between Ukrainian and Russian Army control. “Women and children get in; men will need to wait,” Serhiy …
Read More »