Luke Ryan

About the author

Luke Ryan is a SOFREP journalist in Tampa, FL. He is a former Team Leader from 3rd Ranger Battalion, having served four deployments to Afghanistan. He grew up overseas, the son of foreign aid workers, and lived in Pakistan for nine years and Thailand for five. He has a degree in English Literature and loves to write on his own as well, working on several personal projects.

Looking at Parkland from the inside

This article contains videos with graphic content. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has made heavy the hearts of many watching as the events developed; none heavier than those who lost those they loved. Before “objectivity” is thrust into the limelight and arguments are made, I believe that it is important […]

Veterans: Doing your ‘private time’ all over again

When a lot of veterans exit the military, they bring a lot to the table. They may have useful skills, that the military trained them in the highest levels of proficiency and that are directly transferable to the civilian sector — even if they were infantry, that brings along a plethora of abstract qualities like […]

A decade of service: From an Army Ranger to a DC Police Officer

Patrick Bacon joined the United States Army when he was 21 years old. He would make it through the rigorous schools and selections required to enter the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he served in the 3rd Ranger Battalion, spending five years in the military and leaving as a sergeant with multiple deployments under his belt. […]

Agro-warfare: The basics

Agro-warfare has been called many things, including agro-terrorism, and it is a form of warfare that involves attacking the food or food supply of an enemy (the “agro” referring to agriculture). Typically, when people think of targeting food supplies or agriculture, they think of the “scorched earth” tactic, which essentially means destroying all potentially useful […]

A brief history of the mechanics of action sequences in film

Filmmakers, from both outside Hollywood and in, have attempted a variety of ways to shoot action sequences. Some styles tend to draw more attention to themselves, like the visually tantalizing battlefields of “300,” while others try and help you feel completely immersed, like you’re not watching a film at all — “Black Hawk Down,” for […]

Opinion: The ‘Noble Savage’ trope and its modern counterpart

The “Noble Savage” character is an idea about a distant culture or group of people (often used in works of fiction) that are uncorrupted by the evils of society. It’s usually an oversimplification of an indigenous people who are in touch with nature, and, while misunderstood by the industrial powers at large, they are innately […]

VA employee shines light on pitfalls of the VA’s transplant system

Late January, a registered nurse within the Department of Veterans Affairs outlined and submitted several issues in regards to the transplant system for our military veterans. Jamie McBride is the program manager at the Solid Organ Transplant Program in the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital in San Antonio, TX. He sent his findings to […]

Why being an ‘operator’ doesn’t make you Jason Bourne

You know the trope found in secret agent films and novels alike: the Special Operator that is fluent in four languages, can track phones, build homemade explosives, is a parkour fanatic, a highly trained driver, is an expert tracker, better hacker, a master of like four variations of martial arts, and of course, is an […]

Drill & Ceremony: What does it have to do with war?

There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to drill and ceremony (D&C): It’s a form of discipline that military members need — discipline in every facet of life translates to discipline in combat; D&C also bolsters espirit de corps. It’s a useless waste of time that takes away from learning actual, useful […]

Member of Burmese parliament charged with high treason

Myanmar/Burma — Two of Burma’s upper echelon have been charged with high treason on Friday. U Aye Maung, a member of Burmese Parliament, and Wai Hin Aung, an author, were charged by the Sittwe District Court. On Jan. 17, thousands of Burmese were in the streets, protesting the government’s decision to ban the celebration of […]