military

Interview with a WWII paratrooper: Tom Rice discusses life in the 1930s

World War II veteran Tom Rice jumped into Normandy with the 101st Airborne Division’s 501nd Parachute Regiment. In the first segment of our interview, Tom talks about what it was like growing up in Coronado in the 1930’s, catching gofers for 25 cents for the fire department, and then using the money to go watch […]

Will the military dare replace a Civil War general with a Special Forces legend?

Recently, Stars and Stripes and several other publications have posted pieces on a proposal for renaming Fort Hood in Texas for Roy Benavidez, the Medal of Honor (MOH) recipient from Lindenau, DeWitt County, Texas. Benavidez was awarded the MOH for extraordinary heroism while rescuing several Americans during the Vietnam War on May 2, 1968.  Normally, […]

Before the AR-15, there was the FN FAL

The Fabrique Nationale Fusil Automatique Leger (Light Automatic Rifle), or FN FAL as it is more commonly known, began life in 1946 when FN and Great Britain created a piston-operated prototype rifle that utilized the German intermediate 7.92x33mm cartridge. This new round was a first attempt at a cartridge that could do the job of […]

Invade Iran? Not any time soon

Many hawks in Washington are wondering why the United States hasn’t already responded with military force against Iran in the Middle East. The Iranians are increasingly bellicose in Syria and in the Persian Gulf. They’ve seized oil tankers and sabotaged others with mines in international waters. Most importantly, they’ve openly violated the uranium enrichment and […]

Women and SOF selection, a former Special Forces instructor speaks out

Sometimes you read things in the news and are thoroughly amazed and awed by some of the fantastic things people think of and make happen. Other times you can read something and be thoroughly amazed and awed for the opposite reasons and wonder, “What the hell are they thinking?” Recently, the Pentagon has resolved to […]

The WWI hero that pioneered US global intelligence

On the eve of the United States entering World War II, the U.S. was woefully unprepared—both militarily and in the realm of intelligence. The United States did not have a professional intelligence service, but that was about to change. President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the need for a professional global intelligence service. He was worried […]

A rare look at a Swiss P-26 ‘anti-material’ rifle made for stay-behind cells

A YouTuber called Bloke on the Range with an interest in the history of weapons recently got some hands-on experience with an incredibly rare rifle, one with a controversial history which turned into a fairly substantial scandal for the Swiss government. This week, I wrote an article about how U.S. Special Forces have been training […]

US Army officer convicted of murdering Afghan civilians to receive an appeal

Having previously gotten nowhere with their appeals to the military, the attorneys for former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance will soon have their appeal heard by a civilian federal court in Kansas. Lorance was convicted by a military court-martial of murdering two unarmed Afghan civilians on July 2, 2012. Lorance’s platoon, part of the 82nd […]

Watch: Col Moschin Raiders demolish Morandi Bridge

August 14, 2018 is a date that can never fade from the collective memory of all Italians. It was a terrible day, one foreshadowed by a severe storm in Genoa. Suddenly, a lightning strike illuminated the sky, followed by an impressive roar. In a few seconds, one of Italy’s most famous bridges crumbled into the […]

Binging war films on the 4th of July? Here’s a good list

A very happy Independence Day to you, and Treason Day to my friends from across the pond. Who knew that a bunch of hot-headed vandals from Boston would create all of this by throwing some tea in Boston Harbor. Sounds like the guys I grew up with. We’re celebrating our 243rd year of independence from […]

How would you rank in the US Army’s new combat fitness test?

The Army is expected to make some final changes to how they’ll grade the new physical training (PT) test. Having been stuck with the same three-event PT test since 1980, the Army spent six years developing a new six-event test that better measures muscular strength, endurance, power, pliability, coordination, speed, agility, cardiovascular endurance, balance, and […]