A light machine gun that was designed eight decades ago is turning up on the frontline in Ukraine. The RPD can be used in the section support role but can also be operated by a single soldier to assault a position, including a trench. It was designed back in 1943/44 …
Read More »Deadly Assault on Special Forces in Vietnam Left ‘Drag Marks and Blood Trails Throughout the Camp’
by Gene Pugh One of the darkest days in Special Forces history occurred on a summer morning in 1968 in Vietnam. In the early hours of Aug. 23, the Da Nang MACVSOG camp known as FOB4 was attacked by approximately 167 soldiers from the combined units of the 22nd VC …
Read More »Wounded at War, This Soldier Created a Program to Help Veterans – Through Puppies
by Sgt. 1st Class Ashleigh Martinez Editor’s note: I first met Chuck Ziegenfuss when I wrote an article about him for PEOPLE magazine, when he was donating voice-activated laptops to wounded warriors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Before long, I was part of another group that cooked for …
Read More »How Israel Recruits Informants Inside Gaza For the Fight Against Hamas
by Elon Perry Recruiting an informant is a long and complex process. There is one phenomenon that worries Hamas almost as much as the Israeli military in Gaza: the thousands of informants who risk their lives for Israel. Without their work, none of the operations to kill senior Hamas officials …
Read More »Lost Night in Kuwait: When My Driver Took a Detour Into the Desert
We keep on driving, and I ask, “Where the fuck are we going?” With a smile and laugh Ali replies, “It’s just up here, buddy.” Being paranoid, I lock and load my M16. I figure worse comes to worse, I’ll smoke him and find my way back. by Greg Chabot …
Read More »Entebbe: The Story of Israel’s Daring Hostage Rescue Raid
by Elon Perry The Israeli commandos wrote their farewell letters to be delivered only in the event they were killed on the high-stakes operation. Then they boarded their flights to Uganda, for a rescue raid that stunned the world. Told by a former IDF commando. Sunday morning, 27 June 1976. …
Read More »‘Damn the Valley’: A Gritty, Riveting Story of Paratroopers at War in Afghanistan
by Heath Hansen When William Yeske asked if I’d be interested in reviewing his book, Damn The Valley, I was eager to see what he had put on paper. As I found out later, he’d served as an 82nd Airborne Paratrooper, in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR). Considering I …
Read More »To Those Who Jump Out of Perfectly Good Airplanes: Raise a Glass on National Airborne Day
by Heath Hansen Happy National Airborne Day to all you servicemen and servicewomen who volunteered to serve your country at a “higher” level! Created in 2002, by then President George W. Bush, National Airborne Day honors all the Nation’s airborne armed forces. READ MORE from Heath Hansen in Soldier of …
Read More »‘I Wanna Jump From a Big Iron Bird’: Following in Dad’s Boot-Steps to Become a Paratrooper
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 …
Read More »Stranded in the Wild? How to Capture Rainwater From Leaves
Everyone knows the lowdown on life in the wild: you can survive for a while without food, but not for long without water. Here a British Army fusilier shows you how to capture rain water using a trap he’s built.
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