Derek Herrera

About the author

is a Marine Infantry and Special Operations Officer. He served with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (The Walking Dead) in Camp Lejeune, NC, where he deployed to Iraq in 2008 and the Middle East as part of the 24 Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in 2010. He completed the Marine Special Operations Individual Training Course (ITC) in 2011 and was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion in Camp Pendleton, CA. He deployed to Afghanistan as the Team Commander for Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT) 8131 in 2012. To learn more about Derek visit www.derekherrera.com

US Marine Raiders – Past and Present

After years of discussion and intense debate, Operators in MARSOC will now officially earn the title of Raider. After an announcement by General Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Marine Special Operations Battalions will be re-designated as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Marine Raider Battalions, along with other subordinate commands in MARSOC. The […]

Korengal Screening with Sebastian Junger

This past weekend I had the pleasure of going to see the movie Korengal, directed by Sebastian Junger.  The film is based on the same experiences and footage that Sebastian and Tim Hetherington captured in the film Restrepo, which first aired in 2010.  Sebastian and Tim endured approximately one year embedded as journalists with Second Platoon, B […]

In Memory of MSGT Aaron Torian, USMC

Master Sergeant Aaron Torian, a Marine Special Operator from 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion in Camp Lejeune, NC, died from wounds sustained while conducting operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 15 February 2014. Although I personally never had the opportunity to work with him, his reputation was well-known throughout the Marine Special Operations and Reconnaissance […]