by Fred A. Ganous, SGM, USA (Ret) The departure point was LZ Washington in downtown Baghdad, which stayed busier than the Atlanta airport. The pilot in command was a Chief Warrant 4 who was well-trained in his aviation duties. He saw a convoy of five U.S. army vehicles come under …

by Jose Campos A growing alliance of criminal groups has emerged to wrest control from Los Chapitos. The firefight began on the main federal highway in Mexico, and it didn’t let up for hours. Long after dark, the sound of gunfire echoed through Mocorito in Sinaloa, turning the stretch of …

by Greg Chabot The beginning of February 2005 was a busy time in Baqubah. Insurgent activity had picked up considerably, keeping all of us at the Police HQ on our toes. With the end of the deployment coming, I had tried multiple times to extend my tour but was denied. …

by Cliff Wade Iraq, 2006 We found ourselves in the home of an Iraqi family during a massive clearing operation in an area characterized by terrain varying between urban landscape, farmland, palm groves, and small villages. We had been clearing routes of improvised explosive devices all morning. We had been …

by Heath Hansen I looked up into the big, blue sky. Far in the distance, I spotted a C-130 Hercules headed towards the open grass field I waited in. For a few moments, I watched as the plane continued in my direction. Suddenly, from the tail-end of the aircraft, paratroopers …

by Robert McAlister  Editor’s Note: Six armed men on April 30, 1980 stormed the Iranian embassy in London. The men were Iranian Arab terrorists campaigning for sovereignty of Khuzestan Province. They took hostages, and issued demands. Enter the British Special Air Service (SAS) and Operation Nimrod. British crisis expert Robert …

When C-17’s leave the runway in the dust. Two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, flew into the Nevada Test and Training Range to support a training exercise for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The massive cargo planes, part of the 62nd Airlift Wing, …

by “Sol Prendido” One of the most influential capos in Mexico’s history met a tragic end – and so did his doctors. One of the most powerful drug lords in Mexico was Amado Carrillo Fuentes, who was born in Navolato, Sinaloa, in 1956. El Señor de los Cielos (Lord of …

The fact that a high-profile lone wolf attack may not be based on any clear motive doesn’t worry some terrorist groups. They will still claim the perpetrator as one of their own, to gain maximum publicity. by Jeffrey D. Simon For many Americans, the events of September 11, 2001, were the first …

Depressed over the April 30, 1975 fall of Saigon, this Army veteran went to see a new movie. by Jack Hawkins Released in Los Angeles in 1978, The Deer Hunter was already becoming a legendary film by the time it hit “flyover country” a few months later. I was between …