With masks and dark glasses to hide their faces they set fire to a uniformed effigy of a United States soldier. In the frenzy an upside down American flag was lit on fire as well. Was this the Hezbollah or Al Queda, was this Palestine or Syria? No, these were American ?peace? protesters in Portland.

Being a Vietnam vet during the last days of American ground troops what I saw mostly was a job almost done. I was positioned on different artillery firebases along the north and central coastal areas, the land in control by the Americans and the South Vietnamese. Though the spring offensive of 1972 spearheaded toward us from the north and out west toward the ARVN the American firepower did halt the advance. Then they left us alone so we would leave. Later, watching the fal...

Over the years, many improvements have been made in military and police garments to increase safety and create bullet proof body armor that is both comfortable and protective. However, in the past, being safe has meant a certain amount of bulk and discomfort, as well as added weight and mass for soldiers and officers facing combat on the battle fields and in urban wars. The use of Kevlar, a registered trademark of DuPont, has made body armor lighter and easier to work with,...

A look at the fate of the 300,000 child soldiers fighting in conflicts around the world. Children have been in the news a lot these days. Rarely, however, has it been for positive reasons. For two months now, the nightly newscasts have brought us an apparently unending list of death from the Middle East. The Israelis and the Palestinians are killing each other again, and the sight is far from pretty. The most shocking aspect of the latest uprising, though, is the fact that...

The United States Marines are a highly specialized branch of the U.S. Military, known for their rapid deployment and amphibious warfare abilities. The mission of the Marines is triple-pronged; to defend or seize naval bases and other land operations as needed, to develop equipment and tactics that will advance the capabilities of amphibious landing forces, and to perform other duties as directed by the President. Created on November 10, 1775 as the Continental Marines, thi...