The Taliban’s ambush kicked off with the standard barrage of RPGs and machine gun fire. After completing their “mad minute” of initiation fires, the surprise attack lulled and we maneuvered out of the kill zone to coordinate our response. Unlike previous ambushes, the Taliban either through...

14 March, 2018 /

Originally published to Soldier Systems Daily in June 2016 By Aaron Barruga Our attention spans are garbage. I can’t remember the last time I waited for an Uber to arrive and decided not to spend the downtime thumbing through Facebook and Instagram. As a millennial, I am...

23 July, 2017 /

Tense, walking with slow and measured steps, soldiers expecting to make contact with enemy forces change their postures in order to increase situational awareness. You never know exactly when you’re going to make contact with the enemy, but there are definitely indicators. In Afghanistan, we...

24 May, 2017 /