Vietnam War

One of the first-ever Special Forces scuba diving operations wasn’t targeted against an enemy. Rather, it was to assist in the search and recovery of 26 Americans who had perished in a freak aircraft collision. On March 7, 1958, a United States Marine Corps (USMC) R4Q (C-119) “Flying Boxcar” transport and a United States Navy […]

Following a fierce legal battle inside and outside courtrooms that lasted a decade, veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars lost their final chance to receive compensation for illnesses caused by toxic smoke while serving overseas. The group of veterans had sued the military contractor KBR, Inc. for running huge burn pits, which burned tires […]

Gordon Yntema was just 22 years old at the time of his death, but he was a Green Beret assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group Airborne, ODA-431 and was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery while fighting in Vietnam in 1968. The enlisted men’s club was named in his honor on Ft. Bragg. […]

For decades, American commandos have been outfitted with the best high-tech gear in the world. Whether it’s the first-generation night vision goggles (NVGs) in Vietnam or stealth Blackhawk helicopters like the ones SEAL Team 6 and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) used to fly deep inside Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden, American […]

Following much speculation, Sikorsky and Boeing have finally revealed their new prototype helicopter, which is vying to become the U.S. Army’s next utility helicopter. There are two contestants left in the Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, which will produce the next generation utility helicopter. Competing with the SB-1 Defiant is the Bell V-280 Valor. […]

Following much speculation, Sikorsky and Boeing have finally revealed their new prototype helicopter, which is vying to become the U.S. Army’s next utility helicopter. There are two contestants left in the Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme, which will produce the next generation utility helicopter. Competing with the SB-1 Defiant is the Bell V-280 Valor. The Army […]

“When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered.” Veterans Day. Memories of past wars, forgotten battles, fallen comrades all surge back. But what is the true significance of the day? Does it transcend the sacred ranks of those who served, and their families, to reach the wider population? […]

Humbert “Rocky” Versace was captured early in the Vietnam War on October 29, 1963, by the Viet Cong and showed his indomitable will by refusing to be indoctrinated by the Communists and resisted fiercely. He so enraged his captors by his insistence on adhering to the code of conduct and protesting their treatment of American […]

This is the second part of the article regarding SAS involvement in proxy operations during the Cold War. You can read Part I here. Historically, the Mahra tribe had lived in a tri-border area that overlays Saudi Arabia, South Yemen, and Dhofar.  After the British withdrew from South Yemen in 1967, and the country went communist, […]

The Green Beret community lost a legend this week as Sidney Shachnow, who survived a concentration camp for three years starting when he was just seven years old. He served in a variety of Special Forces units and a few conventional billets and eventually retired as a Major General. He retired in Southern Pines, NC […]

Twenty years ago on June 7, CNN aired a new a story entitled “Valley of Death,” which twisted one of the most heroic missions during the eight-year war during the Vietnam War into an erroneous story. The claims alleged that 16 Green Berets and 120 indigenous troops on that top-secret mission deep inside Laos had […]

Lee Mize as he was known to his friends was awarded the Medal of Honor for incredible valor in the Korean War as an enlisted man, later became an officer and served in Special Forces for three and a half tours in Vietnam before retiring in 1981. Mize was born August 28, 1931 in Albertville, […]