Category: Military History

Many writers have taken up the pen to detail the dark vigilante missions of Vietnam-veteran turned murder machine Frank Castle.  Some of those writers were pretty good.  Most of them sucked.  The best of them was living legend and modern-day god, Garth Ennis. The Irish-born writer always had the strongest grasp on who the Punisher […]

On this day: October 5th Iran-Contra scandal goes public — 1986 Believing any further encroachment of Communism in the western hemisphere to be a direct threat to the United States, from the beginning of his time as president, Ronald Reagan supported the Contras, a paramilitary group who opposed the communist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. However, […]

Special Warfare Boat Operators (SB) from Naval Special Warfare Boat Team (SBT) 12 make their way to a cargo ship to practice maritime visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations off the coast of San Diego. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kristopher Kirsop/Released

In recent years, the U.S. Navy has found itself in the precarious position of having to warn away Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard fast attack boats using warning shots in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.  U.S. ships regularly have to traverse this narrow seaway on their way into and out of the Persian Gulf, […]

On this day: October 4th Islamic Jihad announces execution of CIA Officer William Buckley —1985 William Buckley had been serving as the CIA Beirut station chief since 1983 when he was kidnapped by operatives with the terrorist group Islamic Jihad. He had volunteered for the assignment following the 1983 Beirut Embassy Bombing, which had killed […]

In 1991, one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers fled Colombia to Bolivia where he went into hiding.  A team of Bolivian Leopardos with American advisors from the DEA and Navy SEALs raided the ranch house at the CIA’s request.  After making entry, they found cups of coffee on the table that were still warm.  The counter-narcotics team […]

Soldiers assigned to 1-10th Special Forces Group, maneuver through a shooting range during a weapons training exercise at the Panzer Range Complex, Boeblingen, Germany, Nov. 08, 2016. Army Photo by Spc. Jason Johnston

U.S. Special Operations Soldiers head toward their objective during Jackal Stone 2016 in Tblisi, Georgia. Jackal Stone 2016 is a bilateral Georgian, U.S. counter terrorism and crisis management exercise.   Army photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus Fichtl

On this day: October 3rd. The Battle of Mogadishu — 1993 Perhaps the most infamous battle in modern special operations history, the Battle of Mogadishu struck the U.S. military and government off-balance as it still marveled at itself following the made-for-TV Persian Gulf War and the fall of the Soviet Union. As a single event, […]

Key West, Florida – A 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion critical skills operator surfaces from the ocean and advances up a beach during a combat dive exercise in Key West, Fla., Feb. 18, 2015. The operator’s team spent a week in Key West practicing various maritime operations skill sets, further solidifying the development of their […]

POLAND — U.S. Navy SEALs assigned to Special Operations Command Europe and Polish GROM operators prepare to board a ship off the coast of Poland during a recent U.S. – Polish exercise in the Baltic Sea. The training improved operational coordination, communication and cooperation between the two forces.   Department of Defense photo

Two Navy Seals get hoisted up into a CV-22 Osprey during a training mission June 28. The Osprey and aircrew are from the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andy M. Kin