George E. Hand IV

In the bone-chilling cold of a Bosnian winter, Kay-Kay wrenched on those tire chains like a saint performing penance, while the local boys’ laughter mixed with the sound of our chattering teeth.

In the thick of the demolition range chaos, we pushed back hard against regulations, showing that not even the threat to an endangered species could keep us from doing our job.

Tasked with high stakes, the Mandarins managed to fumble like amateurs—a real letdown when you’re counting on every detail.

Loaded up with a motley crew of battered kayaks and bruised egos, we barreled down the highway with a war chest of stories, ready to conquer the surf and maybe even learn a thing or two.

In the frosty breath of a Christmas Eve that forgave no absences, our rifles spoke in double-taps, the rhythm of duty overriding the silent night.

In the desert, our guys quickly turned their Humvees into mobile gun platforms, ready to hunt down SCUD missiles wherever they hid.

Under the cover of night, we set up surveillance on Spicy Mike, a notorious figure in Albuquerque’s criminal underworld, navigating the risks to gather evidence and disrupt his operations.

Toads and Goats Our efforts to observe the apartment of a Bosnian war criminal — the Toad — wanted by the Hague were one-deep and depended solely on the sightings from our tactical reconnaissance teams hiding in woodlands while evading and avoiding goat herds. Sure, we were “gathering intelligence” on the guy, but it was […]

Among Bosnian escapades and toaster mishaps, Kay-Kay’s turbulent moods and whimsical redecorations created a whirlwind day of minor disasters and humorous miscommunications.

Facing RAT’s sudden illness, I raced to support a brother-in-arms, navigating hospital halls and personal setbacks with a mix of urgency and clumsiness.

In the heart of Bosnia, Bob Horrigan proved that true heroes don’t always wear capes; sometimes, they just offer a steady hand in the darkest, coldest waters.

A couple of warriors had hit the bottle hard the night before and sported a mighty hangover. That was just the wrong condition to be going under compression and breathing pressed air.