DEA agents and Navy SEALs raid Pablo Escobar’s Ranch in Bolivia
Only after the mission was completed did Larry later confirm that they had actually been on the tail of the notorious Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
Military History
George Washington’s ruthless, secret spy history
With all due respect to early-American hagiographer Parson Weems, George Washington knew how to tell a lie. In fact, he told a lot of them. Moreover, talent for deception was shared by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, all of whom, to borrow from former Vice President Dick Cheney, worked the “dark side.” And though these […]
The man who served with Finland, Nazi Germany, and U.S. Special Forces
Larry Thorne enlisted in the US Army as a private in 1954, but he was already a war hero. That’s because his real name was Lauri Törni, and he had been fighting the Soviets for much of his adult life. Born in Finland in 1919, Törni enlisted at age 19 in his country’s army and […]
History of first-hand accounts being kept alive at Marine Raider Museum
On Nov. 6, 1942, the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion led by Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, embarked on what became known as the Long Patrol, a 29-day, 151-mile slog across the island of Guadalcanal in pursuit of Japanese forces. It was a successful mission and only 16 Raiders were killed, but according to Oscar Peatross, legendary […]
How the “Five Eyes” Intelligence Relationship Began
A secret visit to Bletchley Park 75 years ago gave birth to an alliance between two British and US intelligence agencies which continues today.
The Vietnam Marine with more confirmed kills than Carlos Hathcock
Most of the known sniper exploits from Vietnam belong to the legendary Carlos Hathcock. But Marine Corps sniper Chuck Mawhinney racked up 103 confirmed kills between 1968 and 1969 in Vietnam, with as many as an additional 216 unconfirmed kills.
Watch US Apache strike footage from Desert Storm
Watch this amazing video footage of Apache strikes on Iraqi targets.
Army Ranger History: From the Beginning
In 2012, Jack Murphy, wrote an interesting piece on “The Ranger Book”, a thorough history of the Army Rangers. For those who may not have had a chance to read the book, here is an interesting piece that gives an overview of Ranger history from the mid-1700’s until now. Read the entire article here. The […]
SOF History: Tragedy of Desert One Creates the Four Tribes of U.S. Special Operations Command
April 25, 1980, was a defining moment the American people and Special Operations. At 7 a.m., a somber President Carter announced to the nation and the world the tragic news of Desert One. He revealed a secret hostage rescue mission had failed; eight American servicemen were dead and several others were seriously injured. Problems with […]
New Year’s Day, 1969: NVA Sappers Kill SOG Green Berets
On New Year’s Eve, 1968, at the top-secret SOG base camp at FOB 1 in Phu Bai, Camp Commander Maj. William Shelton ordered extra base security based on reports of a planned VC or NVA attack that night.
First Six Months: Grades Mostly Positive for New DPAA Director
Since Linnington took command of the DPAA, he has brought new energy and a renewed commitment to the federal government’s efforts to research, locate, and return to the United States the 25,000–32,000 recoverable remains of U.S. service members.
Operation Tailwind (Pt. 6): Attempting to Escape From Laos, Second Chopper Crashes
The men of MACV-SOG experienced double engine failure over the mountains of Laos and narrowly survived a crash-landing.
