Tag: Military history

On this day in SOF history: October 16th 1981 — 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is officially established The legendary aviation unit responsible for flying the most high-risk missions in American Special Operations was officially established on October 16th, 1981. We take for granted the incredibly skilled pilots within the Regiment, but before the Night […]

Over a span of more than a hundred years, the 1911 pistol platform has earned a reputation as an accurate and reliable shooter.  Designed specifically to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Army after a campaign in the Philippines saw the current service pistol, a double action revolver chambered in .38, fail to provide […]

In recent months, the American THAAD missile defense system has garnered a great deal of attention, as its powerful radar array and kinetic projectiles are said to be capable of successfully defending an area the size of New Jersey from incoming ballistic missiles.  The United States has had a particular interest in intercepting inbound nukes […]

Here in the United States, we tend to reflect on history as it pertains to us.  We look back at the tragedy of war through a specifically American perspective, and with good reason.  Our holidays like Memorial Day and Veterans Day aren’t intended to simply celebrate the service and sacrifice of the brave men and […]

Tanks are among the more expensive pieces of ground equipment a national military has to spring for.  That, combined with the general novelty of seeing these massive, rumbling war machines in person or on film ensures that they maintain some level of value even well after their usefulness in battle has evaporated. Companies all over […]

Nuclear weapons have been an integral part of American offensive and defensive capabilities since their very inception.  Ever since J. Robert Oppenheimer uttered the famous words, “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds,” in awe and terror while witnessing the destructive power of splitting the atom, the United States has done everything it could […]

It’s hard to do justice where it is deserved especially when it comes to the guys from the WWII era. I would like to tell you about missions that dealt with inserting swimmers in the dark hours of the night in the Pacific behind Japanese lines. You know how it goes, the boat guys insert […]

Lieutenant Hess explains the division was responsible for the defense of Bastogne leading up to the Battle of the Bulge. As Lt. Hess recounts the action, we see snow-covered scenes of the battle and the frozen bodies of soldiers killed in action. Lt. Hess tells of one of the most famous events in WW2 history.

On December 22, 1944, German emissaries asked for the American surrender, to which General McAuliffe answered tersely, “Nuts!” (Lt. HessHess explains that it was “just GI American for ‘Go to hell!’”) A few days later the skies cleared, allowing Allied air forces to retaliate and to drop much-needed food, medicine, and weaponry to ground troops. On Christmas Eve, the Americans allowed the Germans to get as close as possible before opening fire. “You could hear them hollering, ‘Comrade!’ Begging for mercy. Asking for a break. Oh sure. We gave ‘em a break,” says Lt. Hess as the film shows the dead, frozen bodies of Nazi soldiers in the mud and muck. “The German supermen. They didn’t know what the hell had happened.”

The legacy of this tough group of volunteers is being carried forward by members of the 75th Ranger Regiment, whose crest is the Merrill’s Marauder patch, which has never officially been authorized.

He maintained steady hit and run tactics on the Iraqi Army with and without his tank while working with Bedouin and varied anti-Saddam militias in Southern Iraq.

The OSS Society needs your help to honor and recognize the veterans of the Office of Strategic Services with the Congressional Gold Medal.

The SOFREP Kids Reading Club is a great way to introduce children to military history and the sacrifices that were made for them to enjoy their freedom.