IRON MIKE MAGAZINE May 2016

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12 CODE NAME: FREEDOM BY JASON KENNEY

18 WHAT POLICE WORK IS REALY LIKE PT. 1 BY CHRIS HERNANDEZ

24 SURVIVAL MEDICINE BY ROBERT PATRICK LEWIS

44 DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY SPEECH BY GENERAL MACARTHUR

60 DRIVING OFF THE BEAST BY BRYAN DOLCH

3 From the Editor

6 The 26th Legion Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock

28 Gear 5 Must Have Survival Items

34 Photo Gallery by The Proper Grip

52 Food Backstrap and Deer Roast

54 Travel Fishing Idaho

57 Beer Me

74 Directory

76 Events

FEATURED ARTICLES

LETTER FROM THE EDITORI want to start out by saying thank you to all of our readers. We had a great launch last month and the response was overwhelming. We have a lot in store for you this year and hope you continue to enjoy the magazine. This month I wanted to highlight a generation of men and women that I have always Iooked up to since my youth. My father's genera-tion, the Vietnam War generation, found themselves in a divisive time. The war in Vietnam brought strife and chaos home to the streets of America. The war became unpopular and the public support for our veterans was shattered by protest and upheaval. Despite how they arrived in Vietnam, either by draft or by volunteering, they fought like lions. The annals of the war reflect selflessness and tenacity that rivals any act of heroism in our nation’s history. This month’s inductee to the 26th Legion is Carlos Hathcock. His time in Vietnam is legendary. The modern American sniper programs were built on skills he per-fected and put into practice. The second installment to highlight the Vietnam generation is a story about unimaginable odds. A short time after the Tet Offensive in 1968 a little known battle was fought along a river that pitted a small band of Marines against and entire North Vietnamese division. I had come across their story a few months ago and im-mediately wanted to share it with our readers. “Driving off the Beast” will not disappoint anyone that loves a story about overcoming impossible odds and winning the day.

Sincerely,Bryan DolchEditor and OwnerIron Mike Magazine

IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 5

Editor and Owner

Bryan Dolch

Contributors

Scott Casey

Jeffrey Denning

Bryan Dolch

Chris Hernandez

Gerald Hook

Robert H. Johnson

Jason Kenney

Robert Patrick Lewis

Mark Logullo

David W. Peters

Glen Stilson

Joe Stojek

Copy Editor

Robert H. Johnson

Advertising Sales and Design

Iron Mike Magazine is a Publication of

Red Oak Marketing

P.O. Box 310584

New Braunfels, Texas 78130

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Our second inductee for the Ferrum Legio is Carlos Hathcock. His exploits are legendary and have made him a demigod in the military and sniping communities. He helped create the modern sniper programs after returning from war in Vietnam. He served in the United States Marine Corps for almost 20 years but was discharged before his retirement.

Carlos Hathcock was born in Little Rock Arkansas in 1942. After the separation of his parents he moved in with his grandmother. His life’s work and skill would be formed in the woods around his grandmother’s home. At an early age he learned to hunt and fish to help put food on the table. Carlos started hunting squirrels and rabbits with is .22 J.C. Higgins single shot rifle. As he grew up he moved on to using his father’s Mauser98 that his father brought home from his war.


MARINES

Carlos enlisted in the Marine Corps on his 17th birthday in 1959. After a few years on active duty he married in 1962. During his early service years he began to compete in shooting matches and even won the Wimbledon Cup in 1965 at Camp Perry. This victory would change the course of his life and time in the Marine Corps. When he first arrived in Viet-nam he was there as an MP. Unbeknownst to him, he would be changing his line of work before his tour was up. Captain Jim Land was seeking highly skilled shooters for a newly formed sniper program in Vietnam. The winner of the ’66 Wimbledon Cup was on his list.

VIETNAM SNIPER

Although Carlos Hathcock was only credited 93 confirmed kills the actual number is much higher. The process for crediting kills by a sniper in Vietnam required a third party verification who had to be an Officer. Some estimates believe his actual number could be as high as 400. His skill and cofidence grew quickly in Vietnam. Carlos wore a signature white feather that he kept in his hat band as a calling card to his enemy. In return they gave him the name Lông Trắng, “White Feather”.

There are three events that have always stood out above all others. Perhaps his closest near death experience involved another sniper, known as the “Cobra”, that was sent to kill him. It was common for the Communists to put a bounty on snipers throughout Viet-nam. Most of the bounties were between $8 and 2,000. Hathcock was fetching $30,000 for his scalp. While inside the wire on Hill 55 a Marine was shot by a sniper and Car-los knew he had to head out, find, and kill this challenger. It is rumored that the North Vietnamese Army spent time training the Cobra in preparation for the move against Hathcock. His name is lost to history but he extensively trained in field craft and sniping techniques. The killing of the Gunnery Sgt on Hill 55 was meant as an invitation call-ing out White Feather for a duel. Hathcock and his spotter John Burk left the wire and moved into the area where the Cobra was waiting. The two Marines tracked the sniper for two days in a high stakes game of cat and mouse. At one point Hathcock realized he was walking into a trap. Obvious signs were left by the Cobra luring him down a


path that would finish Hathcock and Burk. The team diverted their path and began to maneuver slowly and methodically knowing that they were close. At one point the Cobra snapped a twig while moving and the Ma-rines dove for cover. Under a tree they lay watching the area as a shot rang out. Think-ing he was hit, John Burk searched his body. The liquid he felt running down his leg was not blood but water. The Cobra had hit his canteen. Hathcock looked up and caught a glimpse of his rival running into the bushes. The sniper team made a move and set up again. The two adversaries were within 300 yards of each other but the advantage had tipped towards Hathcock. By late afternoon the Cobra found himself facing into the sun. In one instant Hathcock caught a glint off of the Cobra’s scope. That was enough to end

the duel. Carlos Hathcock had killed the sniper. When they investigated to confirm the kill the two Marines had found something amazing. The shot he fired had passed through the scope of the Cobra killing him instantly. Due to the fact that the bullet had penetrated through both lenses of the scope and had not touched the tube, Hathcock believed the Cobra was zeroing in on him as well. Hathcock had only been a little quicker on the trig-ger.

During and interview in the 1980s Carlos Hathcock talked about his time as a sniper in Vietnam. Out of all of the kills he made, he found personal enjoyment in only one. She was

Carlos Hathcock (left) after winning the Wimbledon Cup in 1965


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known as the “Apache”. She was a sadistic Viet Cong sniper who travelled South Vietnam with a small band of other VC. She was known for capturing and torturing soldiers and Marines to death. One Marine was skinned alive and somehow made it back to the wire where he died in front of the Marines in the outpost. Carlos and Jim Land moved out of the wire to hunt her and her team down. While in their hide watching an area a small group of VC appeared. This was such a personal mission that Land and Hathcock began to wres-tle over the rifle to decide who was going to make the shot. The commotion allowed the Apache to escape. The Marines moved to a new position and set up. Eventually a group of Viet Cong appeared over a rise moving directly towards them. They believed that this was the same group and the Apache was among them. They were not able to immediate-ly pick her out until she squatted to relieve herself. At that moment they knew. The snipers were positioned about 700 yards from the VC. Land decided to call in artillery. The rounds impacted near the Apache driving them closer to Hathcock who was preparing his shot. The Apache lead the way while her team was trying to stop her from continuing her run. With his Winchester M70 Lông Trắng dropped her at 600 yards out. He put another one into her for good measure and the reign of terror by the Apache was over.

Perhaps his most famous mission took him deep into enemy territory to kill a North Viet-namese General. This mission would be solo. Hathcock was inserted as close as pos-sible to his objective and then made his way little by little to make his shot. His abilities in field craft, stealth, and marksmanship would be put to their ultimate test. The area he

Often mistaken to be Carlos Hathcock, Lance Corporal Dalton Gunderson checks the area for Viet Cong snipers. Operation Virginia 1966. MarineCorps history Division


moved through brought him out of a dense jungle into an open field that housed sev-eral anti aircraft gun positions and roving patrols. For two days he inched forward on his side for 1,200 yards. At one point a patrol was within arm’s length and only his ability to blend in to his surroundings and remain calm saved him. For three days Carlos had no food or sleep. He positioned himself in the best cover possible and still found him-self about 800 yards out from his target. He identified the target and prepared his shot. He knew it was too far to make a head shot so he aimed center mass. After his shot rang out the enemy began to run for cov-er away from him into the nearest tree line. This gave Hathcock the break he needed for his escape. He broke for a gully that was south of his position which ran east-west back towards his extraction point. He made it back without incident.

LAST DAY IN VIETNAM

Carlos Hathcock had an unbelievable ca-reer in Vietnam as a sniper but his highest decoration came for actions he took to save fellow Marines. The Amtrac he was riding on struck a mine on Route 1. Though se-verely burned he pulled seven Marines from the burning wreck. Afterwards he returned home and began a long healing process. Told he was being put in for a Silver Star for his actions he rejected the commendation, but accepted the medal 30 years later with his son, Gunnery Sgt Carlos Hathcock III, at his side.

Carlos did however stay in the Marine Corps after his service in Vietnam. While stateside he helped found the modern Marine Scout



Sniper program in Quantico, Virginia. Due to his injuries sustained in Vietnam Carlos remained in constant pain the rest of his life. In 1975 he was diagnosed with MS but re-mained in the Corps until he was only a month away from his retirement. Looking out for this legendary Marine, the Corps medically discharged him before he was eligible for his retirement. Being 100% disabled would provide him with full benefits and pay rather than only receiving half his pay in a standard 20 year retirement package.

AFTER RETIREMENT

Carlos continued to help military and law enforcement agencies to improve their sniper programs. He has become one of the most inspirational legends of Marine Corps lore. Only a few warriors in history have matched his cunning, courage, audacity, and skills. Carlos Hathcock succumbed to complications from MS on February 22, 1999 and was buried near his home in Virginia.

Carlos Hathcock (center) receives his Silver Star with his son (right) by his side.


Dear Sir,

Evaluation of the weapon Code Name: “Freedom” follows:

Sir, it appears that this weapon has been under development for quite some time. The earliest stages of development were born in places such as Bunker Hill, Saratoga and Charleston. In it ’s early stages, it was merely a whisper but later became something far more. It ’s unbelievable sir, they forged a nation with it.

During the Civil War, both sides screamed it ’s name in their fight. Sir, they cut each other to pieces. Brothers from the same families had one another in their sights. They were willing to sever those bonds based solely on their beliefs. I can not begin to explain or describe how powerful this weapon had become.

During WWI and WWII it was the battle cry of thousands as they charged in defiance of insurmountable odds. Winters of snow and shrap-nel were endured, bloodied and burned men continued to fight beyond all logical expectations of the human body. The data that I have researched has shown unbelievable acts of heroism with this weapon as the sole motivating force. Sir, at this point in my research, this weapon has been forged over 164 years. This type of development is unprece-dented.

This weapon surfaced again in places like Korea and Vietnam. It is during the Vietnam conflict that we began to experience the true volatility of this weapon and it ’s danger to our nation. Up until this point, the weapon

By Jason Kenney

IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 13IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 13

and what most rational people of this day and age would believe to be righ-teous began to separate. Sir, this is when Code Name Freedom ceased to be an ideal worth fighting for and became a weapon to use on those who defended it. People who had never bled, fought or sacrificed a single thing for this word began to wield it as both sword and shield. Regardless of it ’s affects on those who bore it ’s burden, people began to use it for their own gain. Sir, Code Name Freedom was rapidly becoming the most dangerous sword the enemies of it could wield. They spit in the faces of veterans sir. They called them baby kill-ers. They ostracized these men who sacrificed their comfort and sanity in de-fense of those very people who used it to desecrate their honor. After the abuse of their own freedom and those fine men who fought for it , the cowards then turned and used it as a shield from reprisal. It ’s decades later and those men still have not been given the honor that they bled for. A good portion of those men never made it home, nor were they given a proper burial.

As we stand today sir, this weapon is being used to dismantle the same coun-try that was built upon it. We are granting the rights of freedom to those who are undeserving. People of other nations are given freedom as though they had earned it or had no privilege to it , merely by the stroke of a pen. We al-low our own enemies to open shop within our borders and spew their rhetoric

IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 13IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 13

against this very nation under the protection of the freedom our young men and women are dying in defense of. We are gradually being denied the right to achieve greatness by the issuance of accolades that are both unearned and unmerited. The very documents that guaranteed the pristine nature of the word are being twisted and turned beyond the original intent of their words to suit political agendas that are not at all in line with the concept by which the Con-stitution was designed.

Sir, it is with utter disbelief that I have typed this letter. Code Name Freedom has been the fabric that bound this great nation of ours through so much that a single communication will fail to itemize. The stewardship of it has grown affa-ble, relaxed and overly sedentary. Under our very noses, we have watched our own freedoms become twisted, forged weapons used against us to the point where the definition of right and wrong are unbelievably blurred beyond any clear definition. To make matters worse, those who dare stand for it ’s original intent are now labeled as wrong, insane or guilty of lunacy. The abuse of Code Name Freedom has robbed most all of their sense of self. The very substance of it has changed from something worth fighting for to something people are universally entitled to.

In my research, I have found that less than half of one percent of the popula-tion of our country understands the intended definition of freedom. As I write


this, even they are coming under at-tack. I urge you to begin a full scale assault on the ignorance that has al-lowed the utter rape of this ideal. I urge you to begin a full scale, all out war in defense of the knowledge of what freedom truly means. Ignorance is the enemies weapon. It is no longer acceptable for us to move through the general population without educat-ing at every turn possible what truly makes all of us love this country so much we would die for it. Explain to your neighbor why the flag must not fly in the rain. Explain to your friends what the patch beneath the flag on your arm means. Tell and re-tell the stories of your brothers and those that came before you to anyone who will listen. Instead of looking with judgmental eyes to those of different colors, creeds and religions, stop for a moment to ask them their own defi-nition of freedom. Explain to them the sacrifices you, and others, have made in it ’s name. Take our most valuable resource, our children, and teach them the value of failure and the learning that comes from the climb out of it to success.

Sir, it is with great urgency that I am issuing this report to you. With all due respect, the time to act was over 40 years ago. We have missed our time hack. The responsibility is ours. The time is now.

Respectfully,

Viper Red 2-1


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By Chris Hernandez

So there I was, minding my own business, driving down a dark street in the ‘hood’. Ahead of me, a traffic light turned red. I slowed to a stop as an old Buick coming the other way punched it. The Buick blew the light, passed me and kept going.

I wasn’t real concerned. There was no traffic on the road, and plenty of other-wise good drivers have barely missed a yellow light. I considered letting it go, then decided, What the hell, I’m bored. I guess I should at least run the plate and make sure it ’s clear.

I turned around and started after the Buick. The driver sped up. My interest rose. Was this something good, or just someone trying to avoid a ticket? I punched it to catch up. The Buick’s lights turned off. That was it , the chase was on.

I called out the pursuit and stomped on the gas. The driver accelerated to nearly a hundred. I hit the buttons to turn on the lights and siren. Then the Buick’s driv-er slammed a hard left turn onto a side street.

Oh crap, I thought. Things were about to get interesting. I knew this street; it was a dead end. The driver was going to either run to a house, where he would have family, friends and a psychological this is my house and you have no right to be here advantage, or he was going to hit the dead end and run on foot.

Fortunately for me, he hit the dead end. The driver and passenger bailed out into a cloud of black, burned-rubber smoke. My braking tires left dark streaks on the street as I for once managed the complex symphony of end-of-pursuit actions: throw the gear shift into park, hit the button to turn the siren off (but leave the lights on so backup could find me), turn the ignition off, yank the keys out, kick the door open, hit the lock button so the suspect couldn’t circle back and steal


my patrol car, slam the door, stuff the car keys into my back pocket, then charge after the driver as I keyed the radio mike to give the suspect ’s description and direction of travel.

This was back in the days when every officer carried a big Mag-Lite or Stream-light flashlight. Whenever we ran from our patrol cars we had to remember to grab the flashlight, or we’d wind up chasing someone in the dark with no light. I, however, was a smart guy. I took a small flashlight, put an elastic sleeve with an extra loop over it , and attached it to my handcuff case flap. That way I could bail out without worrying about forgetting my flashlight. So when I went after the driver, I left my big light behind. Because I’m a genius. I proved it to myself a few minutes later.

I didn’t bother with the passenger. The driver ran across a shallow ditch about twenty feet ahead of me. At this point in my career I was in my late twenties, weighed 125 pounds and ran like a deer. But that was without fifteen pounds of body armor, duty belt , pistol, ammo, radio, pepper spray, baton and handcuffs. With gear I ran more like a giraffe, still pretty fast but not nearly as coordinated. I crossed the ditch and started closing the distance.

The driver turned south. I turned behind him as he crossed under a street light. I got my first good look at him in the yellow halogen glow.

He was shorter than me, stocky and powerfully built. He looked to be about twenty-five. Muscles rippled under his jeans and t-shirt as he sprinted full speed across the street. What was I going to do with this guy once I caught him? If he decided to fight, things could get real ugly, real quick.

Right around this time, I decided to complicate things for myself. Okay, so may-be this wasn’t a conscious decision. I have zero sense of direction, and at this moment my tendency to get lost kicked in. The suspect had run from his car, crossed the ditch and headed south; I keyed my radio and confidently broadcast to dispatch and backup officers, “The suspect is running north!”

The driver turned onto another street. I got the direction right this time, but my previous mistake had thrown the nearest backup unit off. And I didn’t know what street I was on now.

I closed to within arm’s reach of the driver. Tackling and getting into a fistfight with a guy who outweighed me by about eighty pounds and was probably ten times stronger than me seemed like a stupid idea, so I went for plan B. I pulled my pepper spray off my belt , cut a slight angle to get next to the guy, and sprayed him.


He staggered to a stop and tried to rub the spray from his eyes. I shoved him into the ditch. Now he was nearly blind, and I had a position advantage over him. If he’d comply with my commands, I’d have him cuffed by the time backup arrived. If he tried to fight, I could probably keep him down in the ditch until backup ar-rived. I had this guy. He was done.

Unfortunately, the suspect didn’t see it that way. He climbed back out of the ditch swinging. I sprayed him again. No effect. I dropped the pepper spray, yanked my expandable baton from my belt , extended it and swung.

My first hit did nothing. The suspect swung again and barely missed. I swung and hit again. Twice, three, maybe four times. The suspect didn’t notice. At the academy, we were told that if we hit a suspect with a baton, he would drop to his knees, cry, suck his thumb, and pledge his life to Jesus. This guy acted like I was swinging at him with a wet strand of spaghetti. He kept coming, fists flying.

Finally – don’t ask me how, because I don’t remember – I managed to hit his foot. That had an effect. He dropped backward. I ordered him to get on his face and put his hands behind his back. He complied. I stuck my baton back onto my belt , popped my handcuff case, pulled out my only set of cuffs, and knelt on the driver ’s back to cuff him.

He flipped over and swung. I jumped backward. He popped to his knees and came at me. I dropped the cuffs and went for my baton again. The suspect put his hand down to push himself up. . . and it just happened to land right on my pepper spray.

He picked up the pepper spray and looked at it in astonishment. I thought, Oh, crap, backed off and drew my pistol. I’ve been sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray before. It ’s like being stabbed in the brain with an ice pick. If this guy sprayed me, he’d be able to beat and disarm me easy. So I prepared myself to shoot.


The suspect ran. I ran behind him, shouting breathlessly into the radio, “We’re running west again! I don’t know what street we’re on! He’s got my pepper spray!”

The suspect reached over his shoulder and tried to spray me. He couldn’t figure out how to work the trigger. I stayed a few feet behind him, running with my pis-tol in my hand, yelling “If you spray me, I’m going to shoot you!”

He gave up trying to spray me. I holstered my pistol. We ran past a group of older people sitting on the front porch of a house. I shouted to them, “What street are we on?” They didn’t answer.

Crap. We were about two blocks into the chase, and I had no idea where we were. That wasn’t good.

I decided to try something different. I charged up behind the suspect and shoved him off balance. He fell, shot right back up and kept running. Son of a. . . I tried it again. He was back on his feet running in about a second.

We passed an intersection. The street signs were missing, probably taken down by guys who don’t want cops to know where we are in situations like this one. I charged up and knocked the suspect down again. He popped back up like a weeble-wobble and kept going.

We made it about another block. I was starting to wear out. Officers called me over the radio, asked where I was. I had no idea. I heard sirens in the distance, but they weren’t coming toward us. I reached for the flashlight on my cuff case so I could signal responding units. It wasn’t there. I searched my belt frantically. The light was gone. My super genius idea had backfired on me. The light had fallen off my cuff case flap during the foot pursuit.

The suspect cut left , dove and started crawling through a hole in a front yard fence. I reached down and grabbed his waistband. We had a tug of war over his pants. Now I was feeling really tired. He clawed at the ground and kicked his way through the hole. I couldn’t hang on. He broke free and ran toward a house.

I struggled to my feet and ran toward the gate. The suspect turned the corner to the back of the house. I ran through the gate and stumbled to the backyard.

The suspect was standing to the side of the back door, pepper spray in one hand, other hand pounding on the door, shrieking “Momma!” over and over.

I stopped a ways off. Now things were bad. I radioed that I was behind a house. The sirens were louder, but still not close enough. The exertion of the four-block foot chase/fight had caught up to me. I was smoked. And now, if this really was


the suspect ’s house, I might be screwed.

For some families, if the cops are chasing their kid, the cops are wrong. Even if they just saw their kid set fire to a nun, it ’s still the cops’ fault. So I had to get this guy in custody before his family came flying out the door.

I took stock of the situation. I still had no idea where we were. I was worn out. My cuffs were back at the ditch, I had no way to cuff the suspect. My flashlight was gone so I couldn’t signal backup. The baton hadn’t worked. The suspect had my pepper spray.

I leaned over and tried to get my breath. The suspect kept beating on the door and screaming for his mother. I made a decision.

I backed up, took a running started and slammed the suspect into the wall. His head bounced off the wood. He seemed stunned for a moment, then started pounding on the door faster and screaming “Momma!” even louder. I staggered backward, cursing in frustration, and charged him again. His head bounced off the wall again. Another stunned moment, and he went right back to screaming and hitting the door. With almost my last bit of energy, I charged him again. He bounced off the wall, kept screaming and knocking.

I felt lightheaded. I really had no idea what to do. Nothing was working. I start-ed to accept the possibility that this guy was going to get into the house, or the family was going to come out and try to beat me to death. Either way, the result would be bad.

Right then, the most beautiful man I have ever seen ran around the corner. An-other officer, a former Army paratrooper, had followed my bad directions from the dead end, ran the wrong way until he figured it out, backtracked and found the right street, then followed the screams.

Together we cuffed the suspect. Right after I got my pepper spray back, the door opened. A middle-aged woman in a robe stood in the doorway staring at the sus-pect. The suspect yelled, “This is my house! That ’s my momma!”

I froze. This could still have turned into a riot with us two officers against the family. The woman looked back at the suspect with scorn and answered coldly, “You don’t live here.” The relief I felt was almost palpable.

Later we found out the suspect was driving a stolen car, and was high on PCP. I had somehow broken his foot when I hit him with the baton. He ran another three blocks on the broken foot. Later, at the hospital, we had a pleasant conver-sation about the whole incident. He even apologized to me, and we shook hands.


Chris Hernandez is a 20 year police officer, former Marine and currently serving National Guard soldier with over 25 years of military service. He is a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and also served 18 months as a United Nations police officer in Kosovo. He writes for BreachBangClear.com and Iron Mike magazine and has published two military fiction novels, Proof of Our Resolve, Line in the Valley and Safe From the War through Tactical16 Publishing. He can be reached at [email protected] or on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ProofofOurRe-solve).

I learned some lessons that night. First, be prepared for everything to fail. Sec-ond, stay humble; if this guy had connected with one good punch, I would prob-ably have been knocked out, maybe disarmed and killed. As I’ve said before, I'm no tough guy.

But the most important lesson I learned was: don’t give up. Hang in there, and your brothers and sisters will come to your rescue. My belief in my fellow officers and soldiers has helped me through some rough situations, and they ’ve never let me down.


http://chrishernandezauthor.com/2016/02/11/safe-from-the-war-now-available-on-amazon/

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by Robert Patrick Lewis

Before I begin, let me make one thing perfectly clear; I am not a doctor. Nothing I write here is meant to contradict the words of any other medical professional, nor is it meant to be a substitute for any learning on your own. If your doctor tells you something that contradicts anything that I write, I implore you to research it yourself ; every human being is different , and what I will say throughout this arti-cle is meant for the greater good, the average person, the statistical mean of the population.

That being said, let me tell you a bit about who I am; I am a former 18D, US Army Special Forces Medic. As such, I’ve been trained extensively in trauma manage-ment, surgical procedures, medical diagnosis and treatment, tropical disease, long term patient sustainment, and a long list of other specialties need for my former occupation: to treat anyone, anywhere, anytime, for anything.

I’ve treated everything from runny noses to gunshot/burns/explosive injuries in regions from the hills and woods of North Carolina, mountains of Colorado and Afghanistan, deserts of North Africa and Iraq and everywhere in between. My current occupation has me teaching medicine and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) in a warzone, so I’ve kept up on my knowledge.

While the 18D course does its best to train us to be doctors with guns and an in-surmountable knowledge of guerilla warfare and combat skills, there is one very distinct difference, besides bases of knowledge, that separates a Special Forces Medic from a doctor: while they are trained to see patients who they have little


to no personal experience with (with a few exceptions like primary care), it is the job of an 18D to not only take care of these patients in indigenous areas like Afri-ca, Asia and the Middle East, but it is also our job to take care of our best friends.

I took that job of caring for my best friends and Brothers very seriously, which is part of the motivation leading me to write this series of articles for iRON MiKE. I’ve been reading and seeing numerous articles, TV shows and movies over the past year or so focusing on the topic of preparing for disaster, or prepping. Dif-ferent mediums and audiences have their own reasons for prepping and scenar-ios which they are prepping for, but there is one area in which nothing I have seen or read seems to cover: survival medicine.

So why are medical skills so important for everyone to have in the event of a di-saster? Speaking from experience, a person or group can have enough ammo to last them for as many firefights as they can survive, enough food & water to last for decades, or even gas and generators to make them nice and comfortable, but if those same people don’t have a medic or medical experience, it ’s all worthless if just one person in their group contracts a communicable disease which they don’t have the knowledge or resources to treat.

Aside from saving yourself, your family, or your group of survivors, medicine and medical skills are one of the best bartering skill sets you can have when times are tough and those skills are needed. As I wrote in my book “Love Me When I’m Gone” about my experiences in North Africa: “if you take care of a man, he’ll fight for you. Take care of his family, and he’ll die for you.” Even if someone has a locker full of med-icine, a lack of skills to perform accurate diagnostic tests, diagnosis and treatment


plan, knowledge of what drugs are used for what treatment, and most important-ly dose calculations (for infant, child and adult) can lead to catastrophic results. You may never have the need to use any of the skills which I will outline in the future Survival Medicine articles here at iRON MiKE, and I hope to God that you never do, but it is my suggestion that you either take notes, copy and paste the lessons from this website, or take screen shots. If the scenario which my friends and I are preparing for ever comes to fruition, there won’t be an internet to log onto when these will be needed the most.

As I said in the beginning of this article, I’m currently in a warzone so the Inter-net connection is choppy to say the least. I’ll try to upload a new lesson every week, and will give you some homework from time to time. I promise you I won’t put anything out here that I don’t feel is absolutely necessary to know, so I hope you read and take it to heart.

If you are one of the many who takes the time to gather resources and/or prepare for disaster, todays homework will be to check out some books that I feel are an absolute necessity for any good disaster preparation. If you have the ability, find and pick up a copy of any that you feel would benefit (and I say they all would) you in a dire situation. These books are part of the required reading for and nev-er very far from the side of Special Forces Medics, which should be a clue that they ’re worth having.

“Where there is no Doctor”

“Where there is no Dentist”

“The Special Operations Medical Hand-book”

“Tarrascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia"

“Emergency War Surgery: The Survivalist’s Medical Desk Reference”


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Some of these books are written for anyone to use, some are geared main-ly towards medical professionals. Throughout the series of articles I will teach you how to read and use them easily and accurately, and which books are best for which situations. We’ll also go over what medicines you should have in your toolkit , what to use them for, and how to accurately diagnose and prescribe them. We’ll cover trau-ma, disease, hygiene/sanitation, pre-ventive medicine, treatment, diagnosis and protocols, so you should have a leg up on any situation, which you may en-counter. I hope that you never have to use any of this, but will take some so-lace that should it ever be needed, the information will be compiled here in a complete, simple, and understandable place for you to use as you see fit.

So you have your marching orders, and I have mine: you check out those books and decide if they ’re for you, and I’ll start compiling everything I’ve learned to help you truly be ready for anything.

Robert Patrick Lewis is a Green Beret OIF/OEF combat veteran that served with 10th SFG(A), is an award-winning author of “The Pact” and “Love Me When I’m Gone: the true story of life, love and loss for a Green Beret in post-9/11 war” and the host of “The Green Beret MBA” on iTunes.


http://ironmikesupply.com/


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By Jeffrey Denning

I recently posted a question on Facebook: “What five non perishables would you want in a survival situation?”

After several good and comical answers (to include lipstick and mascara), one of the respondents asked what I would take.

As I pondered that, I realized there’s a lot we can learn about survival from the homeless population. I mean, survival doesn’t just mean living in the wilder-ness, right? It could be urban survival. With that in mind, here are the five most important non-perishables we need to survive in an emergency situation, along with an explanation, including some more survival chat and know-how.

1. Sleeping bag

2. Tarp

3. Knife

4. Bladder

5. Water purifier

“What, no gun?” you say. Well, sort of. I’ll get there. Keep reading.

A SLEEPING BAG AND A TARP

Since the weather can kill you before thirst can, I’d opt for a good sleeping bag. Since being wet or damp can add to your misery and exacerbate onset of hy-pothermia, a tarp is essential to have in an emergency. Even if you’re stuck in your own home, but have no heat, you need warmth that comes from a sleeping bag. If an earthquake, tornado or tropical land storm (e.g. hurricane) takes out a window, a tarp will help cover it up from the elements. Ideally, you could make IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 29

a lean-to if you’re in the wilderness, but the chances are more likely that you’ll be closer to buildings. Buildings allow cover from the elements, but you’ll still need a sleeping bag, or at least one or two poncho liners. Wrapping a tarp around your sleeping bag or poncho liner will add extra protection from the elements. A tarp would be nice to have in the wilderness with your lean-to as well.

Transients dress in layers. They usu-ally wear two pair of pants. Dressing in layers is smart. You can cool down, but it ’s difficult to warm up. In fact, a person can die quicker of hypother-mia than from dehydration. So, let ’s assume the five items we need do not include clothing. Obviously, you might be stuck wearing whatever you have on if a major natural disaster occurs. I’m just glad I don’t wear high heels. If you have to leave your home, have some extra clothes and a good pair of boots or shoes handy. It ’s a good idea to have that in the trunk of your car inside a waterproof container. And, if you need to bail from your car, why not put on an extra pair of clothes (weather and time dependent).

Sometimes the homeless have shop-ping carts to carry their things around in. I even saw a guy the other day with a dolly and some stretchy-cords hold-ing his belongs on to it. It ’s not ideal, but it works for them. They, of course, stay in a relatively small area of town. A backpack would work best, in reality. Some transients have those too. But, if


you just had a piece of 550 cord, you could rig up a pack by tying a knot on the rivets of your tarp or around your sleeping bag and walaa! You have a makeshift backpack. The nice thing about a sleeping bag is you can stuff things inside of it and, thus, a sleeping bag—or a sleeping bag with a stuff sack—can double as a backpack. Ideally, you’d want a waterproof stuff sack too.

A KNIFE / EDGED WEAPON

Technically someone can kill you before hypothermia can kill you. In fact, you could get stabbed, shanked or slashed before you get dehydrated too. So, coming in next in the priority of survival is a blade (if not first on your list).

Folders are great, but a relatively small fixed blade in a quick-access sheath is optimum for survival situations. There are a lot of great blades out there, but I really like my RAT-3 from Ontario Knife Company. The blade is 5-inch-es flat. It ’s made from tough 1095 carbon steel. Because it ’s a high quality knife, it has a full tang with a small hole (a lanyard tube) on the butt of the handle. That ’s great for stringing 550 cord around it or lassoing it to a long stick to use as a spear. The kydex sheath is topnotch, (further reading).

Of course, whether you have a quality blade or a rusty kitchen paring knife, it doesn’t matter much when it comes to getting cut. The homeless population can get downright vicious when it comes to territory. Usually fights are over drugs, but whether you get your neck sliced when you’re sleeping or you meet up with some guys who want your shoes or your sleeping bag, having something to defend yourself with is necessary. Guns are heavy and ammo is even heavier. While firearms are great, ammo runs out. Therefore, ammo doesn’t meet the nonperishable standard set above.

More often than not you’ll find a knife (or a multi-tool with a knife) handy for a thousand other projects in addition to some up-close personal protection. With the thoughts of getting injured in mind (however that may occur), it ’s al-


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ways a good idea to carry a bunch of rolled, S or Z-gauze, a few triangular bandages, Ace wraps and some tape. There are a lot of expensive medical survival products out there, but in real-ity you just need the basics, like those listed above—the more, the better. It ’s cheap and works just as good as the more expensive products for packing wounds and creating pressure bandag-es.

WATER PURIFIER AND BLADDER

You can’t go long without water. If you find a water source, you’ll either need to stay near it or walk away from it to find another water source. If you need to leave your water source, you ought to have something to put the water in. The reason I prefer bladders over, say, a canteen, is because they ’re su-per lightweight and don’t take up much space. There are plastic products that are incredibly strong. Even if you need to urinate in a bag and drink it later, you at least have a way of storing some liquids if you have a bladder (no pun intended).


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If there’s a massive catastrophe, whether a man-made terrorist-type attack or a natural disaster, be prepared for water contamination. Because you won’t have an endless supply of water purifying tablets, get a survival straw or another wa-ter purifier that not only takes out the bacteria from relatively clean water sourc-es, but also includes a strainer that has a heavy duty filter that would allow you to drink water out of a muddy hole, if necessary.

CONCLUSION

To recap, when I began really thinking about what’s essential for survival, these five nonperishable items really began to make sense. A sleeping bag and a tarp will keep you dry and warm. That ’s absolutely essential. A knife can keep you safe, if you have the right mind-set to use it , when/if needed. Moreover, a blade can help you do menial chores like cut 550 cord (if you have any) and help you do the things that are needed in an emergency, like killing and skinning a rat, a stray cat or a mangy mutt to eat. A knife can also help you make traps or a bow and drill for a fire to cook the meat. (Note: If there were one more nonperishable product on the list , I’d go for a high quality flint and steel fire starter.) Lastly, a water purifier and something to store water in, to drink later is a must.

Hopefully we won’t have to be stuck in such a dire end-of-days type situation, but like the old tactical axiom goes, “It ’s better to have it and not need it , than to need it and not have it.” Nonperishables like these make for great Christmas and birthday gifts. It ’s the gift that can keep you alive!

Until next time, continue to hone your skills and keep adding to your tactical toolbox.

Jeffrey Denning is a former SWAT team leader, Iraqi war vet, Diplomatic Security specialist in Israel/Palestine, Federal Air Marshal, and subject matter expert for a classified contract with a US government customer. He has won multiple Top Gun shooting awards. He holds a master's degree in military spe-cial operations with an emphasis in terrorism and a bachelor's degree in law enforcement administration. He is the founder and director of the nonprofit organization Warrior SOS. He is also the author of Warrior SOS. See more at www.Jeffrey-Den-ning.com





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JUSTIN [email protected]

Hunter, shooter, hand loader, photogra-pher, and business analyst. I offer pho-tography services (specializing in action shots) writing, and social media consult-ing. I am also experienced in product testing and developing ad campaigns for

the shooting sports industry.

25 years experience in the outdoors and always looking for a new challenge.



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GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR

In 1962, General Douglas MacArthur was presented the Sylvanus Thayer Award at the United States Military Academy. His speech at West Point is one of the most remarkable speeches in the warrior culture. The speech is about those three sim-ple words: duty, honor, and country.

“Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”

Whatever your thoughts are on General MacArthur his words ring true. These words should not be read as a slogan or a catch phrase. They have meaning. I will be adding important speeches in future issues and I thought this one would be a great one to start with.

Bryan


General Westmoreland, General Grove, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps!

As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, “Where are you bound for, General?” And when I replied, “West Point,” he remarked, “Beautiful place. Have you ever been there before?”

No human being could fail to be deeply moved by such a tribute as this [Thayer Award]. Coming from a profession I have served so long, and a people I have loved so well, it fills me with an emotion I cannot express. But this award is not intended primarily to honor a personality, but to symbolize a great moral code -- the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guard this beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is the animation of this medallion. For all eyes and for all time, it is an expression of the ethics of the American soldier. That I should be integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility which will be with me always.

Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hal-lowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to cre-ate hope when hope becomes forlorn.

Unhappily, I possess neither that elo-quence of diction, that poetry of imag-ination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean.

The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboy-ant phrase. Every pedant, every dem-agogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and rid-icule.

But these are some of the things they do: They build your basic character.

Brigadier General MacArthur in 1918.


They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation’s defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid. They teach you to be proud and unbend-ing in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compas-sion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. They give you a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an of-ficer and a gentleman.

And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory? Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms. My estimate of him was formed on the bat-


tlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then as I regard him now -- as one of the world’s noblest figures, not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless. His name and fame are the birthright of ev-ery American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give.

He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his en-emy’s breast. But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his cour-age under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements. In 20 campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand campfires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self-abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people. From one end of the world to the other he has drained deep the chalice of courage.

As I listened to those songs [of the glee club], in memory ’s eye I could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs, on many a weary march from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle-deep through the mire of shell-shocked roads, to form grimly for the attack, blue-lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgment seat of God.

I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always, for them: Duty, Honor, Country; always their blood and sweat and tears, as we sought the way and the light and the truth.


And 20 years after, on the other side of the globe, again the filth of murky fox-holes, the stench of ghostly trenches, the slime of dripping dugouts; those boil-

ing suns of relentless heat, those torrential rains of dev- astating storms; the loneli-

ness and utter desolation of jungle trails; t h e bitterness of

long sepa-

ration from those they loved and cherished; the deadly pestilence of tropical disease; the horror of stricken areas of war; their resolute and determined de-fense, their swift and sure attack, their indomitable purpose, their complete and decisive victory -- always victory. Always through the bloody haze of their last reverberating shot, the vision of gaunt, ghastly men reverently following your password of : Duty, Honor, Country.

The code which those words perpetuate embraces the highest moral laws and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies ever promulgated for the uplift of mankind. Its requirements are for the things that are right, and its restraints are from the things that are wrong.

The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of reli-gious training -- sacrifice.

In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when he created man in his own image. No physical cour-age and no brute instinct can take the place of the Divine help which alone can sustain him.

However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country is the noblest development of mankind.

You now face a new world -- a world of change. The thrust into outer space


of the satellite, spheres, and missiles mark the beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind. In the five or more billions of years the scientists tell us it has taken to form the earth, in the three or more billion years of devel-opment of the human race, there has never been a more abrupt or stagger-ing evolution. We deal now not with things of this world alone, but with the illimitable distances and as yet unfath-omed mysteries of the universe. We are reaching out for a new and boundless frontier.

We speak in strange terms: of harness-ing the cosmic energy; of making winds

and tides work for us; of creating unheard synthetic materials to supplement or even replace our old standard basics; to purify sea water for our drink; of min-ing ocean floors for new fields of wealth and food; of disease preventatives to expand life into the hundreds of years; of controlling the weather for a more equitable distribution of heat and cold, of rain and shine; of space ships to the moon; of the primary target in war, no longer limited to the armed forces of an enemy, but instead to include his civil populations; of ultimate conflict between a united human race and the sinister forces of some other planetary galaxy; of such dreams and fantasies as to make life the most exciting of all time.

And through all this welter of change and development, your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable: it is to win our wars.

Everything else in your professional career is but corollary to this vital dedica-tion. All other public purposes, all other public projects, all other public needs, great or small, will find others for their accomplishment. But you are the ones who are trained to fight. Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory; that if you lose, the nation will be destroyed; that the very obsession of your public service must be: Duty, Honor, Country.

Others will debate the controversial issues, national and international, which di-vide men’s minds; but serene, calm, aloof, you stand as the Nation’s war-guard-ian, as its lifeguard from the raging tides of international conflict, as its gladiator in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended, guarded, and

August 1945 General MacArthur embraces General Wainwright who was captured at Bataan in 1942.


protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom, of right and justice.

Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government; whether our strength is being sapped by deficit financing, indulged in too long, by federal paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too low, by taxes grown too high, by extremists grown too violent; whether our personal liberties are as thorough and complete as they should be. These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Coun-try.

You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the nation’s des-tiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country.

This does not mean that you are war mongers.

On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.

But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philos-ophers: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield.

But in the evening of my memory, always I come back to West Point.

Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country.

Today marks my final roll call with you, but I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps.

I bid you farewell.



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DEER ROASTS AND

BACKSTRAPMARINADE

• 1.5 cups water

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

• Less than ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

• Less than ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

• 1 TBSP sugar

• ½ TBSP salt

Too much vinegar will make the meat tart . No bueno.

CRANBERRY SAUCE

• 16 oz bag of frozen cranberries

• 1/2 large yellow or white onion

• 1/2 cup+ chopped celery

• 1 or 2 TBSP butter

• 1/2 cup sugar

• Celery salt to taste

Boil cranberries in 1.5 to 2 cups of water, until they are very soft and mushy. Add all other ingredients and simmer until you like the tex-ture of the celery and onions. I added a bit of honey at the end. Tweak the amounts of the various ingredients until you like it .

COOK THE MEAT

• Heat the oven to 400.

• Lightly coat the meat in olive oil. Sear it for just a minute or so on one side in a really hot skillet and then turn it over and sear the other side.

• Wrap the back strap in foil and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. When you cut into it , it should be pink to red in the middle. You might want to cook it a couple minutes longer, but I like it medium rare. Just remember that the meat will continue to cook for a few minutes after it is removed from the oven.

• Slice the meat into ½ inch pieces and spoon on the sauce. If you don’t like it , there is clearly something wrong with your taste buds.

If you'd like to share your favorite recipe send it to [email protected] We want to to try it and put it in Iron Mike Magazine for our readers.

This recipe was provided by Gerald Hook, a Marine, and Texan.



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By Mark Logullo

It’s May and time for anglers to gear up in preparation for the coming trout season here in Idaho. I’ve been picturing that perfect cast as the weeks whine down to Memorial Day.

I pull out all the gear, clean and oil the reel and fill with new backing, fly line, tippet and leader, treat the cork and polish the eyelets; I spend hours tying and dressing flies and wonder which one will land that epic fish that rises to take it on my favorite stretch of water.

I can see it in my mind. There is a sense of calm that fills my soul as I step into the river for first time each season. The water rushes past me firmly pushing against my waders making its own sound. It washes away the noise of humanity. The dream of the perfect cast and the fish rising to take the fly brings a peace to my soul I have waited for all winter.

My gear is clean, my flies are boxed and ready to get wet, and the waders are patched and ready for the river.

Be ready and fish on my friends, fish on...



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“Most people hate the taste of beer—to begin with. It is, however, a prejudice.” Winston Churchill

By Joe Stojek

Here are five different brews to spice up your upcoming summer months. Here is a list that should be obtainable in all areas of the country. If you can’t find a particular beer on this list please send a self addressed envelope to Iron Mike Mag and I will send you pictures of myself enjoying the beer you can’t find. That is my promise.

SIERRA NEVADA:OTRA VEZ GOSE Style: Gose

This is a new twist on the sour style that Gose beers are known for. OVG blends prickly pear cactus and grapefruit to bring you a tart, salty and refreshing beer. This is my current go to beer. The light refreshing finish will be a hit on those hot summer days. Enjoy this beer with a clam bake or oysters.

ABV: 4.5%

Price: $8-10 per six-pack

FIVE BEERS TO GET YOU THROUGH THE SUMMER


BALLAST POINT: G R A P E F R U I T SCULPINStyle: IPA

How do you improve upon one of the top IPA’s on the market? Add a little grapefruit. It’s no coincidence that my first two selections have grapefruit in them. It’s refreshing and leaves you wanting more and more. That’s exactly what Grapefruit Sculpin will have you want-ing. The citrusy hops of the IPA and the tart bitterness of the grapefruit is a perfect com-bination. Grill up some chicken and jalapenos.

ABV: 7%

Price: $8-10 per six-pack

FOUNDERS: ALL DAY IPA

Style: American IPA

This is a rich complex IPA with a refreshing after-taste. You can taste the light sweetness, citrus and hops with every sip. You’re left with a dry, bitter and clean taste in your mouth. This is a perfect IPA to ac-company you on labor intensive summer days. Pair this up with a Black and Blue Burger.

ABV: 4.7

Price: $7.50-9.50 per six-pack


ANCHOR BREWING: ANCHOR STEAM BEERStyle: California Common

This beer is made like no other. It was born out of the California elements and things a unique taste with it. You taste earthy and fruity hops, malt, corn and grass. This is a beer for any occasion this summer. Pair this up grilled salmon or bass.

ABV: 4.9

Price: $8-9.50 per six-pack

KONA BREWING:LONGBOARD ISLAND LAGERStyle: American Pale Lager

If you’re looking for clean, smooth and crisp then look no further than Longboard. This isn’t going to take first place in any beer competition. It also isn’t going to be lumped up with your typi-cal golden looking water passed off as beer either. Light bodied, herbal hops and notes of honey and light yeast. Pair this up with a good chicken kabob.

ABV: 4.6

Price: $7-9


DRIVING OFF THE BEASTTHE BATTLE OF DAI DO


In early 1968 the Vietnam War took a turn that would seal its fate in the eyes of the Ameri-can public. Even though the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces during the Tet Offen-sive were defeated on the battlefield there was a heavy political price paid by the Ameri-cans. Tet would be a major turning point for the American public who began to question our efforts in Southeast Asia.

Shortly after the dust settled from Tet, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) planned an attack on the 3rd Marine Division Headquarters at the Dong Ha Combat base. Dong Ha was the nerve center for logistics and planning for the entire Marine Corps effort along the DMZ separating North and South Vietnam. The DHCB supported forward operating

DRIVING OFF THE BEAST

By Bryan Dolch

THE BATTLE OF DAI DO


bases like Camp Carrol, Con Thien, and Khe Sahn. The ability to send supplies to Dong Ha from ships in the South China Sea was crucial. The Navy sent supplies inland via the Cua Viet River and its tributaries. Protecting the surrounding rivers and the base itself was paramount. Losing the Dong Ha would be catastrophic to the Marines fighting in this dangerous region of Vietnam.

In late April 1968 BLT (Battalion Landing Team) 2/4 was assigned the area just north-east of Dong Ha. The 2nd Battalion 4th Marines were a reinforced battalion that had been working the area along the Cua Viet River. One of the river’s tributaries, Jones Creek, had been the site of many Communist infiltrations throughout the war. The Marines had been fighting them hard in this area for several weeks leading up to the Battle of Dai Do. The Marines had suffered many casualties that left their ranks severely thinned out. There were several hamlets that dotted the area along Jones Creek which ran north to south into the Cua Viet River. Thoung Do, Dihn To, and Dai Do would be the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in the entire Vietnam War.

Beginning on April 29th enemy contact had been made around Dong Ha. An ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) regiment was caught up in a hellacious fight several kilome-ters north of the combat base. The 1st Battalion 9th Marines were dispatched from Cam Lo to assist the ARVN soldiers. The Marines were hit hard by the NVA but were able to stall the attack. Eleven Marines were killed and 29 were wounded in the fight. 1/9 departed the battlefield and reorganized back at Cam Lo. A counter attack was organized with 3/9 the next day to aid the still embattled ARVN unit. Command realized that the NVA were beginning to make another big push into the south from the DMZ. To what extent and where was still to be determined.

During April 1968 the 3rd Marines commander had three units under his operational con-trol in which he used to protect the area east of Dong Ha. Colonel Milton Hull used the 1st Amphibious Tractor Battalion to cover the inland area along the South China Sea and the estuaries around the Cua Viet River. The 1st Battalion 3rd Marines covered the area south of the river while BLT 2/4 covered the area to the north. To prevent the bridge at Nhi Ha from being used by the NVA Colonel Hull directed Echo Company 2/4 to secure the area. Captain James Livingston and his Marines were flown into position by Seahorse helicop-ters on the 29th.

Due to the importance of Navy river traffic on the Cua Viet River the NVA planned to cut off the river. They moved into position and waited. To the surprise of the U.S. forc-es, 57mm recoilless rifle fire attacked two Navy boats traveling down river from Dong Ha during the early hours of April 30th. The IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 63

fire was coming from An Lac. This small hamlet lies along the banks of the Song Bo Dieu, the tributary that connects Dong Ha to the Cua Viet River. After the attacks on the LCUs all river traffic was stopped until they could be protected from enemy fire. This in turn stopped all water born resupply for the entire 3rd Marine Division which was engaged all over their Area Of Operations (AOR). It was vital to reopen the waterways immediately for the Marines.

Lieutenant Colonel Bill Weise, the commander of BLT 2/4, notified his staff that the NVA had been found in the vicinity around Dai Do and An Lac. He planned to take his Ma-rines and sweep the area clear of the enemy. His plan was to send Hotel Company into the area with two additional rifle platoons in support. While on patrol an element of H 2/4 was engaged and a quick exchange of fire ensued near Dong Huan. Receiving the news of the fight, Weise immediately ordered Hotel to assault Dong Huan. Hotel would assault from the hamlet of Bac Vong to the north. As Hotel moved towards their objective they came under heavy fire from both Dong Huan and Dai Do. The assault into Dong Huan by Hotel was up close and vicious. The thick vegetation around the hamlet provided good cover for the NVA, who had fortified the hamlet with bunkers


and trenches. The Marines found the enemy everywhere they looked. Intense hand to hand combat was everywhere. Automatic weapons fire and the clap of grenades in-creased into a deafening roar. By 2:30 in the afternoon the assault had swept through Dong Huan with success.

After Dong Huan was secured, Weise ordered Foxtrot to move on Dai Do. As the two rifle platoon moved on Dai Do they came under intense fire from fortified positions within the village. They were, however, able to reach the northeast corner of the village and set up a defensive perimeter.

With his forces committed and in precarious positions Lt Colonel Weise discussed his situation with the regimental commander Colonel Hull. Hull agreed to provide Bravo Company 1st Battalion 3rd Marines. Weise then ordered Bravo Company, which was south of the river to cross via Amtrac and assault An Lac. Naval gunfire and artillery were called in on An Lac to cover Bravo as it crossed the river to assault An Lac. The Marines made their landing and moved on the hamlet. As they moved in the crescen-do of enemy fire was enough to stall the Marine attack. During the attack the com-pany commander, Lieutenant Norris, was killed. Needing to reorganize at this point IRON MIKE MAGAZINE | MAY 2016 IRONMIKEMAGAZINE.COM | 65


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the Marines of Bravo were told to set a perimeter, evacuate their wounded, and prepare for another engagement.

As the attacked stalled at An Lac, Weise was given permission to move Golf Company from its operating area farther to the north. While preparing to be moved by helicopter, the Marines of Golf, were hit with heavy artillery fire. The movement was cancelled for fear of losing aircraft and men. Golf Company would have to move on foot under cover of darkness to a better location. At the battalion base camp they could be transported to the battle around Dai Do via landing craft.

Back in Dai Do, the two platoons of Foxtrot were ordered to move back to Dong Huan that night.

Weise began to make plans for Golf Com-pany once they arrived on the battlefield. His plan was to use them along with the tanks at Bac Vong to assault Dai Do. As the sun began to cast light on the area large numbers of NVA were caught out in the open between Dong Huan and the two en-emy held villages. The Marines immediately engaged them with small arms and artillery fire.

Later that morning Golf Company arrived


via landing craft east of Bravo Company and An Lac. Captain Jay Vargas, Golf’s com-mander, was instructed to move into and secure Dai Do with his Marines and two tanks. The fighting was intense and the Marines faced interlocking fire from the enemy fortified bunkers. They were, however, able to push through the enemy fortifications and clear the village after several hours. Golf Company suffered heavy casualties in the assault but they had secured the village.

The NVA quickly reorganized a counterattack on the Marines in Dai Do. Lt Colonel Weise ordered Golf Company to establish a tight perimeter on the eastern side of the Village which provided them with the best possible defensive position. By setting up on the east side there was a better possibility of supporting direct fire support from the Marines in other positions across the rice paddies. The plan also called for Hotel and Foxtrot to move over to Dai Do and reinforce the Golf Company. As the two companies moved out from Dong Huan they came under immediate heavy fire while in the open. They had to pull back and re-establish their positions in Dong Huan. There was a second attempt to reinforce the Marines in Dai Do by Bravo Company in An Lac. As Bravo closed in on the village from the south they were pinned down by withering NVA fire. Bravo was stuck in the open and hunkered down to wait out the incoming fire from the enemy. Unfortunate-ly, Golf would have to wait until the next day for reinforcements. They would ride out the night on their own.


Late in the afternoon of the second day Lt Colonel Weise was allowed to retrieve Echo Company and pull them into the battle. Echo had been sent several kilometers to the northeast to defend a bridge that was a key crossing threatening Dong Ha. The reg-imental commander would not release the company from its duty until he had a bet-ter picture of the enemy placements. Weise stressed to Colonel Hull that Golf and now Bravo were in dire need of reinforcements to prevent their position from being overrun. Hull capitulated and Captain James Living-ston moved his company from the bridge by foot towards the battle. His goal was to link up with the headquarters unit now based at An Lac. While moving southeast along a creek, on the western flank of the NVA positions, the Marines of Echo were engaged in several skirmishes. The lead Marines of the Echo Company column were reminded to move on and disengage the enemy. Livingston told his lead elements to stay focused on the mission which was to link up with the rest of the battalion in a desperate fight farther south. That evening Echo crossed Jones Creek and connected with the command element at An Lac.

Once Echo Company was set in place they began assisting Bravo Company, south of Dai Do, in removing the wounded from the battlefield. Echo and Bravo worked to get the wounded out throughout the night. Both companies withdrew back to better positions in An Lac.

With Bravo Company now positioned back at An Lac, Golf Company was all alone on the eastern edge of Dai Do. Captain Vargas commanded his men to dig in. The Marines were told not to get out of their holes and to shoot anything that moved. Golf was probed by enemy troops throughout the night but held them off. By morning many of the Marines had run out of ammunition throughout the night engagements. A call was made for more ammunition which was brought forward on two trips by Marines from An Lac.

In addition to the night attacks on Dai Do, NVA soldiers attacked both Dong Huan and An Lac looking for weaknesses in the Marine lines. All of the attacks were held off just before sunrise, May 2nd, Echo Company prepared to move out. Captain Livingston and Echo were to move forward into the south end of Dai Do and link up with Golf Company. Echo had to fight their way to the village. During the assault Livingston ordered his Ma-rines to fix bayonets. The sound of this order and the clicking of 150 bayonets was the



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catalyst that would drive the Marines’ rage as they made the final assault through the village. The fighting was close-in, gritty, and both sides were fighting to the death. Echo linked up with Golf and began to regroup while recovering their dead and tending to the wounded. Out of 150 men only 25 were left. The remaining men of the 150 man company were either dead or wounded.

As Echo and Golf Companies continued to hold Dai Do, Hotel Company moved out of Dong Huan. Their task was to move south-west across the open rice paddies that would take them south of Dai Do. Once they were at the southwest corner of Dai Do they would swing north along the eastern bank of Jones Creek. The final target was Dinh To

which was the next village up the chain along Jones Creek. This village was also heavily fortified by the NVA. The 75 Marines left in Hotel Company knew that the attack was go-ing to be vicious and there would be heavy casualties. They went forward ready to fight. As soon as Hotel reached the edge of Dinh To they were hit by heavy enemy fire.

As the roar of battle echoed across the open paddies from Dinh To, Captain Livingston rounded up his Marines and moved Echo into the fray. The Marines of Echo Compa-ny joined in the fight and began to push the NVA back. The Marines reported that the enemy was coming from every direction and that as soon as one was killed anoth-er appeared in their place. Jim Livingston always cool under fire was seen moving in the open to lend confidence to his Marines as the fought for their lives. Echo and Hotel merged as one unit in the village. As they moved through it became clear to Captain Livingston that the NVA were slowly work-ing their way around the flanks of the Ma-rines in Dinh To. The moment was at hand and the Marines were being surrounded. As Livingston worked to clear another bunker he came face to face with an NVA soldier bearing a heavy machine gun. Livingston


was struck in the leg by a 12.7mm round which took him out of the fight. At that time the NVA began to reinforce and counter attack the Marines in Dinh To. The increase of fire was deafening and the Marines continued killing the enemy coming at them from every direction. The battlefield was laced with the so much RPG and rifle fire that everything was being cut down to the ground. Grass, shrubs, trees, and even huts were cut down as if a chainsaw was reaping the field of battle. The NVA began to rise up out of their defensive positions moving forward in small groups assaulting the Marine positions. The Marines stopped them cold.

Hotel commander Lt. Prescott was wounded during the fight at Dinh To and Lt. Vic Taylor took over command of Hotel Company. Taylor and Livingston were instructed by Lt Col-onel Weise to execute a fighting withdrawal back to Dai Do where they could link up and resupply with Golf Company. The Marines slowly worked their way back holding off the NVA the entire way. Livingston ordered his men to leave him behind on the withdrawal so he could cover them as they moved out. His men refused and carried him back to Dai Do.

While Echo, Golf, and Hotel Companies were consolidating in Dai Do, aerial observers saw massive formations of NVA in the open north of the battlefield. The NVA were mass-ing troops to retake Dai Do and wipe the Marines from the battle area. Air strikes were called in to rake the enemy soldiers. The excitement of the pilots found them fighting over the radio to get a chance to drop their ordinance on this unusual target of opportunity. The NVA attack was stopped dead by American aircraft.

Also, at this time Colonel Hull, met with Lt Colonel Weise pressing him to make another assault on the NVA positions. Weise told his commander that his Marines were out of


steam and that another attack could not be launched. The Marines had already been in the fight for almost three days and their ranks had been worn thin. Hull instructed Weise that he had arranged for and ARVN mechanized battalion, from the 2nd ARVN Regiment, that would act as a supporting element in the assault. The ARVN would move up the west side of Jones Creek while the Marines would move out from Dai Do again into Dinh To. The mobility of the mechanized ARVN unit would allow them to get ahead of the Marines and provide fire on the west flank of the NVA units in Dinh To and Thuong Do. That was the plan. Around 3pm, with the plan in place, the Marines of Golf Company moved out fol-lowed by Foxtrot Company. Golf, by this time, was down to less than 40 able men. Foxtrot was now the strongest company in the battalion. They would be the follow up reserve for Golf in the coming fight. The Marines made it into Dinh To with little resistance and began moving on to Thuong Do. While approaching the village the incoming fire began to grow more intense. By 5pm the Marines were halfway through Thuong Do and there was an enormous increase of fire from the left flank of the Marine line. In the chaos of battle it was first believed that it was friendly fire from the ARVN unit that was ordered to protect the Marines’ left. This was quickly determined not to be the case. NVA were again spotted in the open to the left and were massing for a flank attack on the Marines in Thuong Do. Un-beknownst to the Marines the ARVN battalion had left the area of battle without notifying anyone. Golf and Foxtrot were completely exposed on the left and in a position of being surrounded by the NVA. During the assault Golf had moved farther forward while Foxtrot remained at the edge of the village. While still in the open, Foxtrot was pinned down from fire on their east and west flanks and could not provide support to Golf Company.

Cut off, Golf Company made a last stand in Thuong Do. Captain Vargas began moving from position to position within the Marine perimeter. He called in supporting helicopter

gunships, naval gunfire, and artillery to lay down supporting fire around the embattled Marines. The supporting fire allowed the Marines of Golf and Foxtrot to conduct an-other fighting withdrawal back to Dai Do. During the withdrawal Lt Colonel Weise was seriously wounded and was dragged to safety by his Marines. Weise and the battalion Sergeant Major had moved up to Captain Vargas’ position to assist in the withdrawal. Vargas had called in artillery fire on their own position and instructed his commander that he should leave the area. The Sgt. Major got up and turned to move back to the rear just as an RPG impacted


close to their position. Sgt. Major Malnar took shrapnel and small arms fire wounding him severely. Weise moved to help his Sgt. Major and was immediately struck three times in the back by small arms fire. At the same time a group of 30 NVA soldiers was moving forward to assault their position. By luck, the coordinates given by Vargas to the artillery unit were not his position and land-ed directly on the oncoming enemy soldiers. At that moment Vargas began dragging his commander out of the battle area to safe-ty. He then went back in seven times to the fight to retrieve wounded Marines. For his actions Captain Vargas would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

The fighting withdrawal was successful and the Marines began removing the wounded from the battle and resupplying the remain-ing men. Command of the battalion was

handed over to Major Fritz Warren, the operations officer of BLT 2/4. The wounds sus-tained by Weise required that he be evacuated from the battle. Warren had already be-gun setting up a defensive position in Dai Do that included all remaining elements of the Magnificent Bastards of 2/4. The night was coming quick and the Marines laid in wait. Probes hit the Marine lines throughout the night but no major attack materialized. The next morning the Marines prepared for the expected assault. The final attack never came. During the night the NVA had left the area licking their wounds moving back north above the DMZ to find sanctuary in North Vietnam.

This little known battle in the northern province of South Vietnam would turn out to be one of the most vicious of the entire war. It was not until the 1999 that, now retired, General Bill Weise understood the full extent of the enemy he faced 30 years earlier. He arranged to meet with the commander of the 320th NVA Division. During this meeting he was in-formed that his Marines had fought off the entire division during the three day battle. The small thinned out battalion of less than 1,000 men had held off nearly 10,000 NVA soldiers.

During an interview General Weise exclaimed “the real reason for our success was the extraordinary performance of the individual Marines and Sailors. Whose professionalism, battle harden confidence, selflessness, shear guts and raw courage, as well as loyalty to each other carried the day.”


AMERICA GRIP: FIREARMS ACCESSORIES

BEE TACTICAL: KYDEX PRODUCTS

BRIM-IT: HAT ACCESSORIES

DEAD GOOSE SOCIETY: FIREARMS MANUFACTURING

DECISIVE ACTION: TACTICAL TRAINING

FIGHT THE NOISE: POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

FIRE ARMS POLICY COALITION: POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

TEXAS FROG FEST: CHARITY EVENT

HEROES MEDIA GROUP: ONLINE RADIO

INDEPENDENCE TRAINING: TACTICAL TRAINING

KENAZ TACTICAL GROUP: TACTICAL TRAINING

KRIS ‘TANTO’ PARONTO: PUBLIC SPEAKER


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http://www.brim-it.com/

http://www.deadgoosesociety.com/

http://www.decisiveaction-us.com/

http://www.fightthenoise.org/

https://www.firearmspolicy.org/

https://www.firearmspolicy.org/

http://texasfrogfest.com/

http://www.heroesmediagroup.com/

http://www.independencetraining.com/

https://www.ktgfirearms.com/

http://www.kristantoparonto.com/

http://www.independencetraining.com


http://ironmikesupply.com/tees/bullets-and-bombshells-tees/

LONE STAR GUN RIGHTS: POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

MILLER TACTICAL GROUP: KYDEX PRODUCTS

PIPE HITTERS UNION: APPAREL

RAIDER PROJECT: VETERANS CHARITY

RED OAK MARKETING: MARKETING AND PUBLICATION

SCHULTZ PHOTOGRAPHY: PHOTOGRAPHER

SONORAN DESERT INSTITUTE: ONLINE COLLEGE

TEXAS FIREARMS FESTIVAL: FIREARMS EVENT

THE ARMS ROOM: PODCAST

WISHES FOR WARRIORS: VETERANS CHARITY

DIRECTORY CONTINUED

If you have a company, organization, or a need to reach our readers let us know. The directory is here for you. It's an affordable way to let people know who you are. Email us at [email protected] for more information on getting listed.


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http://www.firearmspolicy.org

mailto:info%40romtx.com?subject=Directory%20Info

MAY 1ST

Kenaz Tactical Group - Intro to Defensive Hand-gun

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Guest Appearance and Book signing- Uvalda, GA

MAY 2ND

Kenaz Tactical Group - Tactical Rifle / Carbine 1

MAY 3RD

Kenaz Tactical Group - Intermediate Carbine 2

MAY 5TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Guest Speaker Grand -Rapids, Michigan

MAY 6TH

Independence Training- Private Handgun Course

MAY 7TH

Independence Training- Private Handgun Course

Kenaz Tactical Group - KTG Open Range shoot

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Honarary Chair "Silks in the Bluegrass"- Louisville, KY

MAY 8TH

Kenaz Tactical Group - Civilian Medical 1

MAY 10TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Keynote Speaker BPCA Spring Meeting- Atlanta, GA
















MAY 12TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Keynote Speaker Reubli-can Party of Iowa- Des Moines, IA

MAY 13TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Keynote Speaker, Existing Industry Appreciation Luncheon- Valley, AL

MAY 14TH

Independence Training- Private Carbine Course

Kenaz Tactical Group- Defensive Pistol 1

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Keynote Speaker, Sena-tor Bruce Thompson Fundraiser- Georgia (Event Details to be determined)

MAY 15TH

Kenaz Tactical Group- Colorado Concealed Per-mit Course

MAY 16TH

Kenaz Tactical Group- Tactical Rifle / Carbine 1

MAY 18TH

Independence Training- Private CPR/AED Course

MAY 19TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Victorville, CA

MAY 20TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto -Guest Speaker, American Principle's Liberty Summit- Fresno, CA

MAY 21ST

Kenaz Tactical Group- Tactical Rifle / Carbine 1

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Special Appearance, Max-

im Defense-NRA Convention- Lousiville, KY

MAY 22ND

Independence Training- Private Carbine Course

Kenaz Tactical Group- Defensive Pistol 2

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Keynote Speaker, Marin County Republican Central Committee, Lincoln Dinner- San Rafael, CA

MAY 26TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Keynote Speaker, Lincoln Day Dinner- Bridgeport, CT

MAY 27TH

Kris “Tanto” Paronto - Keynote Speaker, Montana Republican Party- Bozeman, MT

MAY 28TH

Kenaz Tactical Group- Intro to Defensive Hand-gun

Texas Frog Fest- Lone Survivor Foundation Bene-fit Event- Crystal Beach, Texas

MAY 29TH

Kenaz Tactical Group- NRA Range Safety Officer Course

Texas Frog Fest- Lone Survivor Foundation Bene-fit Event- Crystal Beach, Texas

MAY 31ST

Kris “Tanto” Paronto -Keynote Speaker, Minne-haha County Republican Pary Lincoln Day Din-ner- Souix Falls, SD

If you're interested in listing in event contact us at [email protected]. This is a great way to reach out to our readers and let them know what you are up to.



























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Shots ring out! You're on the move with not only yourself, but your family. Do you know how to properly engage targets while going mobile? This type of scenario is more and more com-mon in our increasingly violent world. Active shooter scenarios play out every day on the news. Are you prepared to get you and your loved ones away from the threat safely? A static target is a dead target. Mobile Dynamics is a 4 hour specialty class that focuses strictly on shooting while on the move. You will be put through a portion of the same rigorous training regimen that our High Threat Security Operators go though before they deploy with a security team. In this class, we will teach you using the same Executive Protection techniques our operators use while shooting and moving. You always have your loved ones with you while out in public-- that is why it is so important to know the correct way to shoot and move while getting your loved ones to safety. In any situation involving a gun, you most likely will not be standing still. We train you to retreat while engaging targets. You are also trained in forward engagement and shooting moving targets while you yourself are mobile. This is an action-packed class that is not only fo-cused on mobility, but on giving you that bodyguard style mentality while shooting and moving. #TrainLikeYourLifeDependsOnIt DecisiveAction-US.com


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I'm often asked where the Iron Mike name came from. In the beginning of the magazine creation I wanted

to represent the best of what America was and can be. The inspiration came when I was

walking in our local town square. There in the middle were two statues. One of a soldier from the Civil War. The other statue was of a soldier from World War I. The light bulb went off. Throughout our history for me the most inspiring men and women were veterans. They were the ev-eryday people that were called to do extraordinary things in plac-es that risked their very lives.

Doing some quick research I found a few pictures of "Iron

Mikes" in Quantico, Parris Island, and at Fort Bragg. I immediately knew that

this was the perfect representation that I wanted for my magazine. My tagline had been Forge On for a few years but

it was something I settled on. I never really felt that it was the perfect motto.

Also, there has been another group that has used the Forged motto after I estab-lished mine. They are a much bigger group

and I didn't want issues with my motto. I have chosen a new motto and I believe it

is much better for the Iron Mike brand. LENTA FORTIS INSPIRARE:

TOUGH BRAVE INSPIRE. As you also know The official product line for

Iron Mike Magazine is 26MIKE. The name is

the same but a little encrypted. 26 is the atomic number for iron. I hope this gives you a little more insight into my magazine and the brand. Thank you all for your support!

- Bryan

IRON MIKE MAGAZINE May 2016

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