Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
Robert K. Brown, who founded Soldier of Fortune magazine in 1975, died in Denver, Colorado, on August 28, 2026. He was 93. A retired Army lieutenant colonel and former Green Beret, Brown championed veterans, freedom fighters, and the Second Amendment.
His death was announced on his personal Facebook page on November 2, 2026, which would have been his 94th birthday.
Born November 2, 1932, in Monroe, Michigan, Brown graduated from the University of Colorado in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1957 and again from 1964 to 1985, including service with Special Forces in Vietnam. His decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal.
In 1970 he co-founded Paladin Press with Peder Lund. Five years later he launched Soldier of Fortune, The Journal of Professional Adventurers, in Boulder, Colorado. Correspondents reported from conflicts across Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, often from places other outlets would not go. He personally spent more than $300,000 searching for Americans in captivity in Southeast Asia.
Brown published work by some of the most respected names in military literature, including Thomas Golz on Chechnya, Jim Morris on Vietnam, John Stryker Meyer on MACV-SOG, David Isby on Afghanistan, and others. He used the magazine masthead to honor correspondents who were lost, including Lance Motley, Robert MacKenzie, and more.
In April 2022 Brown sold the magazine to journalist and longtime contributor Susan Katz Keating, who continues to own and publish it.
Brown served on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors for more than three decades and was a trustee of the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. He frequently traveled to Raton for retreats with his friends, a tradition he carried on long after he retired and sold the publication. A range has been named in his honor at the Whittington Center.
The Soldier of Fortune annual conventions were a staple in Las Vegas and drew attention around the world, including from Soviet media. On September 22, 1999, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman proclaimed “Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown Day” in honor of the magazine’s 20th annual convention.
Brown’s passing at 93 was met by his family, friends, and followers with sorrow and gratitude for having known him.
His daughter, Janice, shared memories of her father with Soldier of Fortune, and provided family photographs, including the portrait that formed the basis for the image, above.
“Bob Brown didn’t just write about courage,” said Jerry Kraus, currently Director of Special Projects for Soldier of Fortune and a member of the NRA Board of Directors. “He lived it, he paid for it, and he funded it for others when nobody else would. Every veteran who ever picked up a copy of SOF owes him something.”
“He was a true Man Among Men,” Keating said. “I will be forever grateful that he came into my life all those years ago. We’re honored to carry on what he started. Rest in peace, Bob.”
