Never underestimate your opponent

Never underestimate your opponent

I retired 180-A, Special Operations Technician and spent the majority of my Special Forces time working in Central and South America. I earned a CIB in Operation Desert Storm prior to my retirement in 1992 and was a member of the coveted P.I.G Team, also known as a “Green Light” Team in 7th SFG. I […]

The over exaggerated “C” clamp grip… hype or not?

The over exaggerated “C” clamp grip… hype or not?

Over the past 6 years or so, combative and realistic shooting techniques have adopted a new, exaggerated shooting stance/style.  I first saw this way of shooting while serving overseas and a couple of guys were using it during shooting drills before an op. The shooters who use this style of shooting claim that it reduces […]

Sniper: Billy Zane is an under-utilized national asset

Sniper: Billy Zane is an under-utilized national asset

Following hot on the heels of Sniper: Reloaded (The Return of Zane) in which Gunny Beckett’s son named Brandon Beckett won mad Tom Berenger awards for racking up baddies by the boatload, Sniper: Ghost Shooter (Zane is an under-utilized national asset) sees Brandon put back into the shit against the backdrop of Central Asian pipeline politics. […]

SAS selection: Welcome to jungle (Part 2)

SAS selection: Welcome to jungle (Part 2)

Note: This is part of a series about Phil Campion’s experiences in SAS selection. You can read part one here. The door cracked open on the plane and within a millisecond, the whole plane was engulfed by a hot, sticky, humid heat. It was late and the orange glow of the airport’s lights obscured my view out […]

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program: Strengths and weaknesses from a black belt

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program: Strengths and weaknesses from a black belt

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program is a combat system developed specifically for use by United States Marines and combines elements of various fighting platforms into a single discipline in which all Marines must undergo training. MCMAP uses a belt system similar to that of traditional martial arts disciplines, with tan standing in for white […]

Doing big business in Africa – pros and cons

Doing big business in Africa – pros and cons

Business in Africa is hampered by an unstable and immature business environment without a strong prognosis of a strong economic future. According to the Oxford Journal of African Economies, “despite more than a decade of reforms in many African countries, investment and growth rates are still far below the levels required for sustainable development.” This […]

SAS selection: From the hills into the trees (Part 1)

SAS selection: From the hills into the trees (Part 1)

The time I spent in Hereford was hell on my body, even though it was almost healed from my ordeal on the hills. I had no toenails left, and the blister scars on my feet were still visible and hurt a little bit, especially when I put them in my new jungle boots to break them in. I […]

And the Oscar goes to… Alt-Qaeda!

And the Oscar goes to… Alt-Qaeda!

When I watched the documentary “White Helmets” I was somewhat less impressed than the Oscars apparently were.  This week, the White Helmets documentary took home an Oscar for best documentary in the short subject category.  The documentary is about a group of Syrians who wear white protective helmets and rescue civilians from bombed out buildings. […]

‘Spy Sites’ are everywhere in the Washington D.C. area

‘Spy Sites’ are everywhere in the Washington D.C. area

Former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Office of Technical Service (OTS), Robert Wallace, who spent 40 years serving the United States in the intelligence community, has written a new book that documents hundreds of locations in the greater Washington, D.C., area with links to espionage. The book, “Spy Sites of Washington, D.C., A […]

A Marine goes to college (Part 3): Ohhh, the drinking…

A Marine goes to college (Part 3): Ohhh, the drinking…

Read A Marine Goes to College Part One and Part Two. While plenty of college life felt foreign to me, one thing I knew I’d have no trouble getting used to was the drinking.  For better or worse, the Marine Corps will teach a guy how to drink. In the military, just about every event […]

10 signs you are a post-9/11 veteran moving on from your service

10 signs you are a post-9/11 veteran moving on from your service

This author has been out of federal government and military service for a while now — officially about six years — and as my service in that capacity recedes into the background, I have noted two things happening in my life.  First, I am accumulating a new set of experiences as a city firefighter and […]