Remembering Lawrence Joel, Medal of Honor, Nov. 8, 1965

Lawrence Joel was a United States Army paratrooper who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Joel received the Silver Star and the Medal of Honor for his heroism on November 8, 1965, in a battle outside Bien Hoa against the Viet Cong. At the time, he was serving in South Vietnam as a medic […]

Ukrainian Special Operations units hold competition

Earlier in July, the Ukrainian Special Operations Command held an intense competition between its Special Operations units. The competition was broken down into five days of intensive tests that aimed to test the resolve, morale, endurance, capabilities, and professionalism of the teams. There were 11 stages that put the commandos through obstacle courses, adverse weather […]

Risk aversion in Special Operations: When aid workers have more freedom in a combat zone

Who has more freedom of movement in a combat zone: a highly trained and well-resourced Special Operations fighter, or an untrained volunteer working for a cash-strapped religious non-governmental organization (NGO)? In the author’s opinion and experience, the answer is the NGO worker — and by a long shot. The reason for this predominantly boils down […]