War

In the months after 9/11, Green Berets were in the southern Philippines to help take on an al-Qaeda-linked force more than 1,000 strong. Two decades later, roughly 20 terrorist fighters remained. by Jose Campos The Green Berets moved through the jungle, cutting through undergrowth in the ungoverned space where violent …

From a mark of cowardice in World War I to a sniper’s calling card in Vietnam, the white feather crossed generations and battlefields to become a symbol of defiance. by Jose Campos A single feather, plucked from a bird and handed to a recipient, once carried enough weight to end …

Drones began as a battlefield curiosity, and have become a staple of modern warfare. Here at Soldier of Fortune, we have spent years pushing past the headlines to bring readers deeper into what’s happening on the ground. What follows is a look at some of our findings, from the history …

by Jonathan Stumpf Life with a frontline mortar crew, where an old Soviet weapon fires from the countryside as the war in Ukraine moves toward Chasiv Yar. “Tri, dva, simdesyat,” crackles over the radio. “Tri, dva, sim, nol,” I repeat as I lay the old Soviet 120mm mortar onto the …

by Mark Grdovic In the spring of 2003, the US Army’s 10th Special Forces Group tied down 60 percent of the Iraqi Army north of Baghdad while US and coalition forces attacked from the south. Mark Grdovic was on the ground as part of the mission he helped design. The following is …

by Susan Katz Keating Why did Soviet forces abandon Afghanistan in 1989 after nearly 10 years of war? Western analysts have burned through terabytes trying to explain it. What else besides the fierce Mujahideen drove the Red Army to retreat with nothing to show but shattered pride? Some credit the …

by Hooligan My logbook called it a routine troop lift. My gut told me otherwise. I was still green – a “Peter Pilot” in Army slang – flying right seat in a Huey. The Aircraft Commander sat to my left, cool and unshakable, though his name has long been lost …

by Robert Fallon The men of Easy Company could hear the hill before they owned it. Machine guns hammered from above. Rifle fire cracked across frozen Korean ground. The Chinese troops dug into the high ground had the advantage every infantryman wants. They had elevation, cover, and clear fields of …

“So this is how it ends. We were trapped.” Hunted by Russian drones, targeted by tank fire, and cut off from escape, a foreign volunteer recounts the day he expected to die in Ukraine. by Jonathan Stumpf A loud bang, a metallic clang, then blue smoke pours into the small …

In a span of weeks, Sergeant Roy Elderkin converted a group of polo players, Foreign Legionnaires, soldiers, and civilians into highly effective mounted infantry.  by Gatimu Juma The shooting started at 20 yards. Six mounted infantry from a new unit, Grey’s Scouts, were riding through thick Rhodesian thornbush when the …