Lucca is the first U.S. Marine service dog to receive the medal, considered the world’s top honor for war animals. A bomb-sniffing U.S. Marine Corps German shepherd who survived an IED blast while on patrol in Afghanistan was awarded the world’s highest honor for service dogs on April 5. The 12-year-old canine, named Lucca, joins a…
Category: Profiles in Courage
Profiles in Courage: MARSOC Team Endured Hell to Evacuate Wounded
“We faced what seemed the inevitability of death.” While conducting village stability operations in the Upper Gereshk Valley, of Helmand province Afghanistan, a Marine Special Operations Team with 1st Marine Special Operation Battalion came under heavy fire. The initial volley sparked a gunbattle that would rage for a full two days. On the morning of…
Profiles in Courage: Gisella Perl, The “Angel of Auschwitz”
Forced to work for the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz, Gisella Perl risked all to save as many lives as she could. This is her incredible, heartbreaking story. We have previously shared the story of Stanislawa Leszczyńska, a midwife at Auschwitz who delivered almost 3,000 babies while imprisoned in the concentration camp. But while…
War Movies Worth a Damn: Hyena Road
‘Hyena Road’ Brings Grinding Complexity Of Ground Combat In Afghanistan To The Screen New drama ‘Hyena Road’ takes a close look at the complex and often convoluted counterinsurgency doctrine in Afghanistan. Translating the experiences of those who served in the Global War on Terror onto film has yielded mixed results, with many movies focusing on…
Profiles in Courage: Leon Cooper
I first heard about Leon Cooper when a good friend of mine who does work for the American Legion told me to watch a documentary on Netflix called Return to the Philippines: The Leon Cooper Story. After watching it, I immediately did a blog post on it, you can read that HERE. Leon Cooper…
Profiles in Courage: The WW2 Draft Dodger Who Turned War Hero
This is one amazing story and one of the reasons I absolutely Love Military History, specifically, WW2 History! -SF Years ago, when I first came home, I decided it would be a good thing for me to write a book. My first project, still unfinished, and now my 3rd project had the working…
MARSOC: 10 Year Anniversary Tribute
[A fitting Tribute to an organization that has been putting the “Bad” in Bad Ass for over 70 Years. Semper Fi! Keep up the Good Work Fellas. -SF] MARSOC Raiders from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan talk about the unit’s legendary past. Marine Raiders, past and present, look back on their legacy in a…
Profiles in Courage: Unarmed Civilian Saves Cop’s Life
This video is over 8 years old, but the lessons it teaches bears repeating: In life and death situations, seconds matter, NEVER HESITATE TO ACT! Every civilian, regardless if he has a CCW or not, should have a simple set of empty-hand skills to call upon. Basic strikes to gain DISTANCE and TIME.
Profiles in Courage: Victim of Violent Anti-Semitic Attack in France moves to Israel and Joins Elite IDF Unit
I love stories like this. They say ADVERSITY introduces us to ourselves, and the true test of character comes not when you win the fight, but when you get knocked on your ass. Let us all learn a lesson from him. -SF A victim of a violent antisemitic attack in France — who subsequently moved…
World War Two History: Luck or the Jewish Resistance?
This story is confirmed in Elmer Bendiner’s book, ‘The Fall of Fortresses.’ Elmer Bendiner was a navigator in a B-17 during WW II. He tells this story of a World War II bombing run over Kassel, Germany , and the unexpected result of a direct hit on their gas tanks. “Our B-17, the Tondelayo, was…