by Heath Hansen The wind within the body of the bird blows me back and forth as I try to maintain my balance. “Thirty seconds!” the jumpmaster yells, before telling the man at the front of the stick to “Standby.” Then, a loud “GO!” gets us moving towards the door. I cover …
Read More »‘The Mother’: A Soldier’s Haunting Encounter in Iraq
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 …
Read More »Death in the Desert: A Texas Cowboy’s Gruesome Encounter
by Bobby Dee Editor’s note: Bobby Dee first made his appearance in SKK’s previous story about Bodies and Gunfire in the Texas Wilderness. Now Bobby writes about his encounter with a bad scene at sunrise. The sun wasn’t even high yet, but the heat was already pressing down on me. …
Read More »When an Ex-KGB Man Helped Stage a Daring Heist in Soviet Moscow
by Nikolay Shevchenko It was late evening when a cash truck pulled up in front of a fancy department store on Mozhayskoye Highway in Moscow. Leaving two partners behind in the truck, the third guard stepped over the store’s threshold to collect the cash that had piled up there throughout …
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 »Our ‘Death Angels’ Helicopter Crew Flew Against All Odds in Iraq
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 …
Read More »Humbling Reflections on Memorial Day
Precious time is the most valuable thing any of us will ever possess. by Heath Hansen As I reflect on what today’s holiday means, and remember the sacrifices so many American servicemen and servicewomen made for my freedom, I’m humbled. I think about the buddies I lost – the guys I knew …
Read More »A-10 Thunderbolt, the Flying Tank-Hunter
The signature of the A-10 is its 30mm Gatling gun, capable of firing up to 3,900 rounds per minute. This cannon isn’t just loud; it’s bunker-shattering extreme firepower. When the ground gets hot and troops are under fire, there’s a particular sound that brings much needed steel rain: BRRRRT. That’s …
Read More »Blood on the Highway: The Cartel War to Seize Power in Sinaloa
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 …
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 …
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