Book Review: “The Double Agents” (Men at War #6) W.E.B. Griffin

I will be the first to say that I am always ready to read anything pertaining to the OSS in World War II and love the genre. I’ve read many of W.E.B. Griffin’s books and they follow along a same general outline. The plot and character development take up the vast majority of the novel […]

Russian Zapad 2017 Exercise Has European Countries On Edge

countries are justifiably nervous with the news that the Russian-Belarussian military joint strategic level exercises Zapad-2017 (“West-2017”) begin today, September 14 across the Russian’s Kaliningrad western military district and Belarus. The Russians have used large exercises such as this, in the past to preposition troops and equipment before engaging in offensive operations, such as Georgia […]

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.14.2017

Thursday is Chest and Triceps day at the gym today to build upper body strength. Then a 4-mile ruck march with 45-pounds minimum. Have you broken in your second pair of boots yet? Remember to stay hydrated and mark your progress down in your workout log book. Training: More Preparation for the UBRR: 3 x […]

Robert Rogers, the Brilliant if Flawed First American Special Operator

One of the first American heroes in our nation’s history was a man who had two distinct lives. One before the American Revolution and one after. Robert Rogers was famous for his companies of Rangers during the French and Indian War. He was a brilliant officer and outdoorsman and his men served the British and […]

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.13.2017

Shoulders and back day in the gym before heading off to do the SOF (Special Operations Forces) Triathlon. A 3-mile run, a 3-mile rucksack march, and a 300-meter swim with fatigues and boots. Aim to go as fast as you can in each event. Get used to swimming with fatigues and boots. It is much […]

Special Forces Lost a Brother in Twin Towers, a Member of the NYFD

Yesterday we wrote about the tragedy of 9-11 and the horror that we all felt that day 16 years ago as we watched planes fly into the World Trade Center and the thousands of lives that were lost in New York City, in Washington D.C., and in rural Pennsylvania. Almost everyone in the country either […]

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.12.2017

Tuesday is Leg Day at the gym, our favorite, but we’ll begin with pull-ups and towel pull-ups for those who don’t have access to ropes for climbing. The squats and lunges build up the strength in your lower body for carrying a rucksack, which is the bread and butter of SOF. Then a four-mile run […]

9-11, Sixteen Years Later And What It Means To Us Now

It is hard to believe that the awful events on September 11th are now 16 years in the past. Much has changed since then. Our country has been in a constant state of war since that date, and we’re no closer to the end of it than we were on that fateful morning. We, as […]

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.11.2017

A good way to kick the Monday morning doldrums is to get in a good workout. We’ll start with the basics of pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, pull-ups, and dips before a 4-mile run. Remember to mark your progress in your workout log book. Going thru a mini-UBRR twice before […]

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.10.2017

It is time for our Sunday morning ruck march. We’ll do a six-mile course today over varied terrain, aim for a time better than the standard of 90 minutes. Do a quick warm up of pushups and sit-ups before heading out. Stretch well both before and after the ruck march. Remember to drink plenty of […]

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation 9.9.2017

Back to the gym on Saturday for some shoulders and back work. The towel pull-ups are for those who don’t have access to climbing ropes. We’ll finish off today by running some speed work (sprints and the shuttle) for cardio. Log your numbers down in the workout notebook Training: More Preparation for the UBRR: 3 […]

Hurricane on the Coast? Meh, For 7th SFG It Was Rubber Boat Training Time

After the disastrous results of Hurricane Harvey that drenched the Houston area with a year’s worth of rain in just a few days and the huge Hurricane Irma that is bearing down on Florida and scheduled to hit this weekend, I see the military is actively involved. As it should be, we wrote here last […]