TigerSwan: Former Delta Operator sought to incite violence at the Dakota Access Pipeline

It was early afternoon on October 11th, 2016 when TigerSwan’s program manager, retired Delta Force Sergeant Major John Porter, met with Silverton’s owner, Carl Clifton, inside a hangar at the Mandan Municipal Airport. The hangar was initially used by Silverton security as a clandestine office for their intelligence cell that collected information on the protesters, […]

The art of sleeping anywhere

The conditions are just right: the pillows are soft and plentiful and you rest your head after a hard day’s work. You hug a large, soft pillow on your mattress that threatens to swallow you whole it’s so soft. The blankets on top of you are a blissful, heavy weight that embodies the essence of […]

Veterans: Doing your ‘private time’ all over again

When a lot of veterans exit the military, they bring a lot to the table. They may have useful skills, that the military trained them in the highest levels of proficiency and that are directly transferable to the civilian sector — even if they were infantry, that brings along a plethora of abstract qualities like […]

A decade of service: From an Army Ranger to a DC Police Officer

Patrick Bacon joined the United States Army when he was 21 years old. He would make it through the rigorous schools and selections required to enter the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he served in the 3rd Ranger Battalion, spending five years in the military and leaving as a sergeant with multiple deployments under his belt. […]

Why being an ‘operator’ doesn’t make you Jason Bourne

You know the trope found in secret agent films and novels alike: the Special Operator that is fluent in four languages, can track phones, build homemade explosives, is a parkour fanatic, a highly trained driver, is an expert tracker, better hacker, a master of like four variations of martial arts, and of course, is an […]

Broken Faith: A wounded veteran’s search for self-forgiveness

SOFREP is proud to present its guest author, Zachary Mayne, veteran of 3rd Ranger Battalion.  Welcome, Zachary! Five weeks after being wounded by a burst of high-explosive rounds in combat, I was hooking up my static line for a daylight, Hollywood jump over Fryar DZ. My wounds had healed quickly, it seemed. The sight had […]

The American Road and the Gold Star Family

In World War I, families who had one of their own serving in the military often hung a banner or flag outside with a blue star to symbolize their loved one. If that loved one were killed, the blue star would be turned to a gold one. I can imagine that in a war like […]

One of many failures as a Ranger: Learning from your mistakes

“The greatest teacher, failure is,” said Yoda. Or if Winston Churchill is more your speed: “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” When I was a gun team leader in the 3rd Ranger Battalion, I felt like I knew what I was doing. I struggled from switching from a position […]

BREAKING: 2/75 Ranger killed in training in Oregon, investigation ongoing

Spc. Devin James Kuhn, 24, was killed after a shot was heard on Camp Rilea in Oregon. He was on the way to the Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria when he succumbed to his wounds. Right now, officials say that the shot was due to training, though the facts are still coming in and the investigation […]

The Long Range Shooting Handbook: A Beginner’s Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting

I’ve shot a lot of rounds in my life.  I was a pretty heavy volume shooter in my teens, chewing through case after case of .223, 7.63×39 and 12ga as well as various handgun calibers.  After I joined the military my volume went up drastically easily pushing tens of thousands of rounds downrange annually.  I was well […]

3rd Ranger Battalion & The Big Four

Growing up in 3rd Ranger Battalion, the Big Four were constantly stressed and evaluated throughout all phases of training. These skills were how the Regiment plied their trade and were the backbone of the unit’s training and mission execution. If you couldn’t keep up physically you got smoked until you thought your eyes were going to […]

Real Army Ranger falsely accused of stolen valor: Paul Lozier

Former Army Ranger Paul Lozier was accused by an online blog last week of lying about him being a Ranger. The accusation was spurred during a political argument on Facebook, when the owner of the blog that seeks out those who claim stolen valor posted about Lozier, publicly calling him a fraud. After presenting his […]