The gear of Marine Raiders from WWII

The gear of Marine Raiders from WWII

Article courtesy of Scott Witner (loadoutroom.com) The only things those people have that you don’t is guts. Do you wanna live forever? — Col Merritt A. “Red Mike” Edson The Marine Raiders were established to operate behind enemy lines during World War II. They specialized in amphibious warfare in the cover of darkness. The Raider concept was […]

Iwo Jima Marine involved with Mt. Suribachi flag dies

Iwo Jima Marine involved with Mt. Suribachi flag dies

The Marine who led the charge up Mount Suribachi to place the first American flag over Iwo Jima in World War II died last week. First Lt. John Wells died Thursday at the age of 94 at a rehabilitation center in Arvada, Colorado, local ABC affiliate Denver 7 reported. Wells was awarded the Navy Cross, Bronze […]

George Washington’s ruthless, secret spy 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

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

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 […]

Army Ranger History: From the Beginning

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 […]