As leader of a squad of seven men he was ordered to establish a combat post 50 yards to the left of the company to cover its exposed flank. Repeated enemy counterattacks, supported by artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire from the high ground to his front, had by the afternoon of 16 September killed or wounded all his men. Collecting weapons and ammunition from his fallen comrades, in the face of hostile fire, he held his exposed position and inflicted heavy casualties upon the enemy, who several times came close enough to throw hand grenades.
On the night of 16-17 September, the enemy launched his heaviest attack on Company B, putting his greatest pressure against the lone defender of the left flank. In spite of mortar fire which crashed about him and machine-gun bullets which whipped the crest of his shallow trench, Sgt. Johnson stood erect and repulsed the attack with grenades and small-arms fire.
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The Influential StG 44: The Grandfather of All Assault Rifles
The German gun went by several designations before being declared the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle. The intermediate rifle bridged the gap between the submachine gun used for close-in fighting and the battle rifle used against distant foes.
It has a fascinating story and served as the inspiration for guns on both sides of the Iron Curtain -- the AK 47 of the Soviet Union and the M16 of the United States – and the StG 44 laid the foundation for intermediate infantry weapons carried by militaries around the world.
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Since the dawn of humanity, we have personalized our weapons. A lot of that was done simply to make yours distinct from someone else’s. But there is also a perceived need to customize your weapon to make it better fit your needs. With a concealed carry weapon, one popular attachment is the weapon-mounted light (WML). Is it the right thing for you? To make that assessment, the first thing we need to do is analyze the pros and cons of this accessory.
Comment: I do not use a WML on my every day carry pistol but rather use a laser. I always carry a hand-held light. The hand-held light solves the identification problem without pointing a pistol at a potential innocent and the laser is a very effective aiming tool in low light. A correctly executed Harries technique provides almost the same support for the pistol as a two hand hold.
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How much do these popular terms matter when selecting a weapon light?
In the last quarter century, lighting technology has progressed by leaps and bounds. Today’s flashlights are generally half the size and offer twice the performance (at least) as the one I perpetually carried as a rookie cop in the late 1990s. Today, there are dozens of flashlight manufacturers with hundreds of models to choose from. The problem that we’re faced with now is that there are too many options.
When selecting a tactical light, there’s a lot to consider: Size, construction, battery power and, of course, functionality. If you’ve purchased a light in the last few years, though, you might have noticed references to lumens, candela, or lux ratings on the packaging. The question is, “Do these ratings really matter, or are they merely a marketing ploy intended to impress the uninformed?”
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Mossberg 990 SPX Magpul: First Look
Mossberg is manufacturing the 990 SPX Magpul, a 12-gauge, 3-inch semi-auto tactical shotgun. Mossberg’s is offering 990 SPX Magpul with 14.75-inch (NFA) or 18.5-inch barrel options. The 990 SPX Magpul uses a gas-operated system housed entirely within the forend and Mossberg states is consistently cycles a variety of ammunition types. Mossberg treats critical internal components—including the gas piston, magazine tube, hammer, and sear—with nickel-boron coatings and specialized finishes to enhance corrosion resistance and durability.
Functional enhancements include an enlarged, beveled loading port, elongated pinch-free elevator, and a high-visibility anodized orange follower. A top-mounted safety, oversized and ergonomically shaped, is easily accessible for both right- and left-handed shooters and features a clearly visible red indicator. (Comment: I have not personally handled the 990 SPX Magpul; however, I hope Mossberg is installing a metal versus a plastic safety. On other Mossberg platforms, when the plastic safety breaks (as it occasionally does) the gun is completely down.)
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Principles of Personal Defense
It seems a yachtsman was asleep in his power cruiser docked in the Bahamas. After midnight he opened one eye to be aware of two intruders in his cabin, one of whom was pointing a Mini-14 at his chest from a range of about eighteen inches. This is a startling situation. This is an intimidating situation. It might properly be termed a terrifying situation. But the man remembered his principles and instantly attacked, with his hands, and won. He personified the principles of decisiveness, aggressiveness, speed, and surprise in a most satisfactory manner.
Stories such as this come to my attention with such frequency that it would take a whole directory to list them. They establish beyond any question that the principles we have taught over the decades, and still continue to teach at Gunsite, are valid beyond any contradiction. Our work here is conducted in order to keep the victims of aggression alive, and the knowledge that it succeeds is our reward.
When a coward is offered deadly violence, his reaction may be to surrender, or cower, or flee, or call for help; not one of these choices is likely to obviate his peril.
Comment: Cooper's timeless book is available for a free digital download at the link above. Claude Werner posted this notice on his blog.
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I was deeply disturbed by the headlines concerning a Chicago mother who had lost four children to murder. My heart ached for that mother’s loss. But I was more disturbed when I realized that the media exploited this tragedy (yet again!) in its relentless campaign to demonize firearms. The headlines read GUN violence. Not gang violence, not drug trade violence, not out-of-control-crime-rate violence; no, the media calls it GUN violence.
Why are the newspapers and electronic news outlets almost all blaming firearms in general, and “assault weapons” in particular–for the massacres at Sandy Hook, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and others? The media’s demonization of guns as the source of the violence and death in America is, quite simply, irrational. I can demonstrate that it’s irresponsible, even outright insane. It flies in the face of reason and experience, yet it is virtually unchallenged.
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How to Outsmart AI Voice Scammers Pretending to Be Your Family
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Comment: Although written from a police perspective, the information in this article is useful for almost everyone. Cops are prime targets for cyberattacks that glean personal data and release it to the public. Since the earliest days of the second term of President Donald Trump, federal immigration law enforcement has been a priority. Trump and his Department of Homeland Security officials have been using Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents to arrest people who are illegally in the United States.
Such actions have met with resistance, civil disobedience, and even violence toward the agents. One of the most common complaints about the ICE operations is that the agents do not wear name tags and also often wear face masks. Activists and Trump opponents say that ICE agents are not identifying themselves as law enforcement (even though they wear vests that identify their agency) and are disguised, making them “secret police.” ICE agents say the masks and nameless uniforms are necessary to prevent “doxxing” that can reveal their home addresses and lead to harassment or even threats to themselves and more importantly their loved ones.
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The still morning was broken by the sonic boom of a jet engine passing low over the airfield. That was nothing out of the ordinary at Naval Air Station Key West. Being over a year since the Berlin Wall had fallen, the Cold War was all but over, and the once strategic base for defense against our communist neighbors in Cuba was now a dream destination to be stationed.
The noise returned as the jet circled again. “There’s a Russian MiG!” an airman shouted.
Had every pilot on base created a bingo card for that day’s events, I am certain that none of them would have had a Soviet MiG-23 painted with a Cuban flag landing on their base, but there it was. As the plane came to a halt, the pilot sat on the tarmac, awaiting whatever fate befell him.
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Sharpening Knives the Right Way
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What does digital hygiene look like for security-conscious professionals?
You wouldn’t leave sensitive documents on a café table while you step away. Yet most professionals walk through every day with devices broadcasting constantly location, identifiers, connections without a second thought.
That gap between how we protect physical assets and how we treat digital ones is where modern risk lives. Digital hygiene isn’t about being afraid of technology. It’s about understanding how it behaves when you’re not paying attention.
Modern devices always communicate. Even when screens are dark, phones and laptops scan for networks, ping towers, exchange Bluetooth signals, and broadcast identifiers. That creates real, everyday exposure.
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