by Royce de Melo Some meters ahead of me on the left side of the street, two soldiers armed with M16 A1/A2 rifles approach a young man. He definitely caught their attention. As the soldiers in El Salvador calmly walk up to him, the man stops and puts down the …
Read More »Fight for Survival: The Medevac Huey Crashed Hard in Alabama
by Fred Ganous, SGM, USA (Ret) The pilot in command reached up and grasped the rescuer’s shirt. “Hey asshole,” he growled. “That’s not what you say to the ones you are trying to help!” The medevac mission had ended, and the burn patient was dropped off successfully at the hospital. …
Read More »The AK-12K Rifle: Kalashnikov’s Compact Powerhouse for the Modern Battlefield
by Austin Lee In the hallowed workshops of Kalashnikov Concern, Russia’s premier firearms manufacturer, the legacy of Mikhail Kalashnikov’s designs, from the AK-47 to its later derivatives, continues to evolve as combat reports stream in from the battlefield. The latest offering, the AK-12K, a short-barreled variant of the AK-12 assault …
Read More »Gloves Up, Guns Down: The Cartel Truces of Boxing Night
by Heath Hansen Murders, kidnappings, shootings, and drug trafficking should slow down during the fight. The big fight between Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez and Terence “Bud” Crawford drew tremendous interest among the fans, up until the moment Crawford emerged the victor. This clash and others like it also have had a …
Read More »The KA-BAR: America’s Iconic Fighting Knife, Proven in Battle
by Austin Lee The KA-BAR fighting knife has been a steadfast companion to U.S. Marines for more than 80 years, earning its place as one of the most legendary blades in military history. Adopted by the Marine Corps in 1942, the KA-BAR has slashed through jungles, pierced enemy defenses, and …
Read More »‘Arm Yourself’: We Went to DefCon 2 When North Korea Captured the USS Pueblo
by Ed Meagher, The War Horse I’d been communicating with B-52 pilots on the verge of nuclear war, and I hadn’t even known it. January 23, 1968, was an exciting day for me. I had no idea just how exciting it would turn out to be. I’d recently returned from …
Read More »Agilite’s K-Zero Plate Carrier Is So Comfortable My Buddy Swiped It From Me
by Susan Katz Keating My K-Zero is missing. For those of you who are not up to speed on the plate carrier drama, there was an issue previously when I asked my friend Skip to help test the K-19 carrier from Agilite. The plan was to see whether the one-size …
Read More »Forward Air Controllers Called in Fire From Above in Vietnam
by Friedrich Seiltgen During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force’s Forward Air Controllers (FACs) became critical to the war effort, serving as eyes on the battlefield and marking enemy targets. The overall mission began during World War II with Air Liaison Officers directing close air support from the ground …
Read More »Alice in Chains, a Train Ride, and the Ghosts of Vietnam
by Heath Hansen I take my seat on the train. I’m in the Southwestern part of Drenthe, on the way to Amsterdam, so I’ll be on this ride for a while. As the train departs, I pull out my headphones, and a familiar tune fills the speakers. Rooster, by Alice …
Read More »Four Marines and a Night on the Town: What Possibly Could Go Wrong?
by Al Hagan The night started off fairly typically, just four Marines in a car, going out on the town to slam down beers. And it was innocent for most of the night, drinking and shooting pool. I’ll call my companions Mike, John, and Steve, to pick some random names …
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