Category: Military History

Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.”—Sun Tzu Especially over the past 10 years, we have shown a singular disregard for this truth. The SOF-CF dichotomy is emblematic of the problem. ‘Special’ warfare is a relatively […]

An Army Ranger team leader who led a convoy during the fierce battle known as Black Hawk Down in Mogadishu, Somalia, who is now Columbus, GA chaplain is among 17 Rangers that were inducted Wednesday into the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning. The Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade and the 75th Ranger Regiment […]

During a firefight near the Cambodian border on June 6, 1968, a 1st Infantry Division soldier got a pleasant surprise as he watched a North Vietnamese Army infantryman aim his rifle, pull the trigger and explode in a cloud of black smoke. American troops later examined the remains of the NVA soldier and his exploded […]

The Marine Corps has a unique way of incorporating its history into every bit of training you undergo.  Marines are not only expected to leave recruit training in peak physical condition, they’re expected to be able to recite to you, verbatim, important elements of the ever-growing story of the Corps — something that sticks with […]

On June 28, 2005, Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy would perform heroic actions that would result in his being awarded the Medal of Honor. It would also cost him his life in the process, in one of the bloodiest days in the history of the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the SEALs. Murphy […]

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis spoke at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of U.S. and European cooperation.  He also used his speech to honor the 70th anniversary of the Marshal Plan that saved millions of Europeans from starvation and what he called, […]

Prior to this month, a U.S. aircraft hasn’t been forced to shoot down a manned enemy aircraft since a pair of Air Force F-15’s defeated two Serbian MiG 29’s in 1999.  With that significant a gap in combat operations of that sort, one could be forgiven for fist pumping a bit about the Navy’s F/A-18E […]

Ben Het, was a U.S. Special Forces camp located 288 miles northeast of Saigon and six miles from the junction of the Cambodian, Laotian, and South Vietnamese borders, and on June 23, 1969, it was besieged and cut off by 3,000 North Vietnamese troops using artillery and mortars. The base was defended by 250 U.S. […]

Cry havoc… Since the time of Greece and the Roman Empire, the dog has been a valued and trusted member of the military. The Romans used a breed of Mastiff that is now extinct. Then, they covered their canines in armor with spiked collars and used them to wreak havoc on their enemies. The use […]

U.S. STRATCOM Commander Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten spoke about the importance of space, nuclear and missile defense modernization at an event held by the Mitchell Institute in Washington D.C. on Tuesday. General Hyten first explained the role of the U.S. Strategic Command, which is “a global warfighting command whose mission areas include nuclear, […]

They were known as the illegals, men and women who adopted the identities of the dead, worked as priests, poets, actors and inventors, and quietly gathered intelligence for the Soviet Union during the long years of the Cold War. Based in nondescript American suburbs and bustling European capitals, they spent up to two decades developing […]

American Defense Secretary James Mattis was awarded the 2017 Excellence in Public Service Award from Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the National Press Club on Tuesday for his “commitment to citizenship and public leadership.” Mattis told the audience that he was humbled by the award, claiming, “It’s not about me. […]