Marine Recruits Begin Infamous 'Crucible' Training
Marine Recruits Begin Infamous 'Crucible' Training
 Marine Recruits Climb 'The Reaper' and Make History
Marine Recruits Climb 'The Reaper' and Make History
 Black Rifle Coffee Podcast: Who the F*ck is Tim Montana?!
Black Rifle Coffee Podcast: Who the F*ck is Tim Montana?!
 What It's Really Like Inside Seattle's "Autonomous Zone"
What It's Really Like Inside Seattle's "Autonomous Zone"
 This is the End
This is the End
 Tensions Rising in Portland - What's Going On?
Tensions Rising in Portland - What's Going On?
 Coming Out of the Dark
Coming Out of the Dark
 Marines Compete in Grueling 'Recon Challenge'
Marines Compete in Grueling 'Recon Challenge'
 The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 1
The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 1
 The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 2
The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 2
 The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 3
The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 3
 Inside the Marine Corps' New Recon Sniper Course | Pt. 1
Inside the Marine Corps' New Recon Sniper Course | Pt. 1
 Inside the Marine Corps' New Recon Sniper Course | Pt. 2
Inside the Marine Corps' New Recon Sniper Course | Pt. 2
 Front-Line Camaraderie with FOB Brewing
Front-Line Camaraderie with FOB Brewing
 The Hero Who Never Was
The Hero Who Never Was
 The Lady at the Piano
The Lady at the Piano
 The Sheriff
The Sheriff
 A True Miracle
A True Miracle
 Faces of EPA: Steve Paulsen
Faces of EPA: Steve Paulsen
 Faces of EPA: Mary Kentula
Faces of EPA: Mary Kentula
 Faces of EPA: Dixon Landers
Faces of EPA: Dixon Landers
 Free Range
Free Range
 Four Letters
Four Letters
 The Marine Recon Challenge
The Marine Recon Challenge
 Who Are the Best TACPs in the US Air Force?
Who Are the Best TACPs in the US Air Force?
Marine Recruits Begin Infamous 'Crucible' TrainingBy the morning of Wednesday, April 21, the 398 recruits of Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, were midway through the Crucible, a 54-hour field training exercise on Camp Pendleton’s Edson Range. The Crucible is a defining moment in recruit training, challenging prospective Marines with continuous physical and mental obstacles meant to utilize all the skills they have learned.
Marine Recruits Climb 'The Reaper' and Make HistoryAt 4 a.m. Thursday, the recruits of Lethal Lima were just a few hours away from the Crucible’s end when they hoisted roughly 40-pound packs onto their backs and stepped off toward destiny, their hearts set on making history at the top of the Reaper.Lima Company are the first West Coast-trained recruits to ever celebrate the life-defining moment of earning the title “Marines” as brothers and sisters.After training alongside five male platoons for 10 weeks, the women of Platoon 3241 led Lima Company’s ascent to the top of the Reaper.
Black Rifle Coffee Podcast: Who the F*ck is Tim Montana?!“Few people embody what it means to be a Free Range American as much as Tim Montana. Musician, hunter, father, friend and one hell of a model American. Follow along as Tim recaps his musical career as he moves through Alaska to visit with family and friends and be sure to check out his new album “Long Shots” available now.”
What It's Really Like Inside Seattle's "Autonomous Zone"Ethan E. Rocke traveled to Seattle to check out the protestor-controlled "autonomous zone." He was escorted out after it was made clear that journalists were not welcome, but fortunately he was still able to get plenty of coverage. After more than a week of nationwide protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in police custody, protestors took over Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct in the early morning hours of June 8 after police and National Guard soldiers were ordered to leave the area.Tyr Symank is a member of the Washington National Guard unit that helped Seattle Police secure the East Precinct just hours before Mayor Jenny Durkan ordered police to remove barriers protecting the East Precinct to “defuse and de-escalate” the situation.Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said she was angered by the decision, calling it “an insult to our community.” Protestors have since established what they have deemed the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest,” or CHOP – a roughly six-block area where no police are being allowed in.
This is the EndAt midnight on July 1, 2015, Oregonians celebrated the end of marijuana prohibition on the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland, where organizers from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws were giving away seeds to people 21 and older.
Tensions Rising in Portland - What's Going On?Ethan E. Rocke was on the ground in Portland to see the clashes between protesters, rioters, and federal law enforcement first hand. The situation remains tense, with both sides sustaining injuries from less-lethal munitions, fireworks, lasers, and burning trash. The possibility that the situation may intensify remains.Local leaders have called for the federal agencies to leave the city, while President Trump considers expanding the operation to other cities in the U.S. “I’m going to do something — that, I can tell you,” Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office. “Because we’re not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these — Oakland is a mess. We’re not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats.”
Coming Out of the DarkFrom 1999 to 2017, the number of Americans killed by opioid overdoses increased nearly 600 percent, from 8,048 deaths annually to 47,600. In this multimedia coverage, survivors shine light on a national crisis. Read more at: ruralite.com/coming-out-of-the-dark.
Marines Compete in Grueling 'Recon Challenge'Silhouetted palm trees dotted a creeping sunrise to the east, and a waning moon hung in the black sky above the Pacific Ocean at 5 a.m. Friday morning as 22 current and former Reconnaissance Marines stood on the San Onofre Beach shoreline aboard Camp Pendleton, California, waiting to start a grueling day.“Three! Two! One!” a Marine yelled, kicking off the 2021 Recon Challenge.
The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 1On Feb. 9, 2021, dozens of female recruits stepped off buses and onto the iconic yellow footprints alongside hundreds of male recruits in front of the receiving barracks at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. In a historic first, the women of Platoon 3241, Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, completed the Marines’ 13-week recruit training cycle as members of the first gender-integrated company to be trained at the West Coast installation, graduating in May.When Congress passed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, it included in the legislation a prohibition against gender-segregated recruit training at both of the Corps’ recruit depots. Until this year, the Marines sent all males west of the Mississippi River to San Diego, and all males east of the river to Parris Island. Congress has given the service until 2025 to fully integrate training at Parris Island, and until 2028 to do the same at MCRD San Diego.
The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 2This is part two of Coffee or Die’s coverage of Platoon 3241, Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion — the women who made history in the first gender-integrated company to be trained at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.In this installment, the recruits meet their drill instructors and experience the shock of “Black Friday” before we follow them through some early phases of the 13-week boot camp training cycle that all leathernecks must complete to earn the title Marine.When Congress passed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the law included a prohibition against gender-segregated recruit training at both of the Corps’ recruit depots. Until this year, the Marines sent all women to Parris Island for boot camp. All males east of the Mississippi River go to PI, and all males west of the river go to San Diego. Congress has given the service until 2025 to fully integrate training at Parris Island, and until 2028 to do the same at MCRD San Diego.
The First Female Marines From MCRD San Diego | Pt. 3This is part three of Coffee or Die’s coverage of Platoon 3241, Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion — the women who made history in the first gender-integrated company to be trained at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.In this final installment, the men and women of Lethal Lima endure the Crucible — a grueling 54-hour field training exercise and the defining moment in Marine recruit training — and become the first West Coast-trained recruits to celebrate the life-defining moment of earning the title “Marines” as brothers and sisters. We also meet Pfc. Emily Zamudio, one of the first women to enlist in the infantry and be trained at MCRD San Diego, and get candid assessments from Marine leaders on how the first integrated training cycle went and how the recruits performed relative to nonintegrated companies.
Inside the Marine Corps' New Recon Sniper Course | Pt. 1For decades, the only way to join the Marines’ proud fraternity of elite snipers was through the grueling Scout Sniper Course. From basic grunts to Recon Marines, the one-size-fits-all introduction to sniper tactics has been a test of mettle for generations. Now, there is another path. Coffee or Die Magazine followed 10 students as they went through the Corps’ first-ever Reconnaissance Sniper Course. Designed by an elite cadre of Recon instructors, the nine-week course trains Recon Marines in the art of sniping, from basic fundamentals to advanced urban sniper tactics.If they are successful, they’ll be the first Marines to earn the title 'Recon Sniper'.
Inside the Marine Corps' New Recon Sniper Course | Pt. 2In this second and final installment of “Inside the Marine Corps' New Recon Sniper Course,” we trace the proud history of Marine Scout Snipers from their humble beginnings in World War II to the jungles of Vietnam, where the elite culture, training, and operations that modern Scout Snipers are known for were forged in fire and carried forward by legendary Marine Scout Sniper Carlos Hathcock and other extraordinary leaders.And as we follow 10 students through the final phases of the first-ever Reconnaissance Sniper Course, we compare Scout Sniper training with the Recon community’s new nine-week course, hear from the instructors and architects of the new course, and get a picture of the road ahead as Marines from the Reconnaissance Training Company seek to build “the best sniper program that there is.”
Front-Line Camaraderie with FOB BrewingIn a building just a couple hundred feet from the fence line of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in DuPont, Washington, Army veteran Jared Wharton has been serving up culture and community with craft beer since late 2017. But the idea for Forward Operating Base Brewing Co. was born years earlier, in the rickety plywood shacks where the 4-2 Stryker Brigade veteran and his teammates smoked cigars and drank coffee after missions.Wharton, then a home brewing hobbyist, wanted to replicate that feeling of camaraderie back home in the states. Now he boasts a rotation of six original beers on tap, releases seasonal specials, and brings in local military units to create custom brews in their honor.
The Hero Who Never WasJim Capers fought in some of the most savage battles in Vietnam. Many believe he's the ultimate Marine. But does he deserve the nation's highest award for valor?
The Lady at the Piano For 10 years, Judy Gascon has volunteered once a week at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Portland, Oregon, lending her musical talent from about 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The meticulous detail of her vintage look requires at least two hours of preparation for which she wakes at 5:30 every Tuesday.
The Sheriff This piece should be analyzed as one piece of a larger conversation about guns called The Loaded Project, which was initiated by the students in the University of Oregon's Multimedia Journalism master's program. Visit loadedproject.com to learn more. Summary: After the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama directed Vice President Biden to explore possibilities for federal legislation and executive orders to curb gun violence. Seeing most of the potential actions as overreaching, ineffective and unconstitutional, Tim Mueller, Sheriff of Linn County in Central Oregon, ignited an opposition movement among hundreds of sheriffs all over the country by drafting a letter of opposition to Biden and promising that he would not enforce any laws "offending the constitutional rights" of Linn County citizens. 
A True Miracle
Faces of EPA: Steve Paulsen
Faces of EPA: Mary Kentula
Faces of EPA: Dixon Landers
Free Range Why are more and more people committing themselves to the consumption of "free-range" agriculture products? Heidi McKay, a homemaker and part-time farm worker in Portland, explains in this story, which shows how free-range turkeys go from farm to dinner table.
Four Letters Nicola and Meg Cowie were married 14 years before Nicola transitioned to fulfill her gender identity as a woman in 2008. They moved from the UK to Oregon in 2011 -- three years after Nicola began her transition -- and discovered that Amendment 36 of Oregon's state constitution says they are no longer married. This is their story. 
The Marine Recon ChallengeSilhouetted palm trees dotted a creeping sunrise to the east, and a waning moon hung in the black sky above the Pacific Ocean at 5 a.m. Friday morning as 22 current and former Reconnaissance Marines stood on the San Onofre Beach shoreline aboard Camp Pendleton, California, waiting to start a grueling day.“Three! Two! One!” a Marine yelled, starting the 2021 Recon Challenge.Competing in two-man teams, the Marines took off over sand and slick rocks, rifles slung across their backs and carrying rucksacks weighing at least 50 pounds. Without hesitation, they waded into the surf, shrinking smaller and smaller until they disappeared in the waves.The 1,000-meter ocean swim was an initial baptism to kick off the 2021 Marine Recon Challenge.Competitors put their strength and endurance to the ultimate test during the punishing, daylong contest. Each Recon Marine wore the name of one of his fallen brothers on his pack, and the Gold Star families of the fallen were on hand to observe the commemorative event throughout the day. They cheered competitors on at several of the challenge’s 10 events and welcomed the Marines at the finish line.
Who Are the Best TACPs in the US Air Force?The US Air Force’s Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) specialists are some of the deadliest service members in America’s arsenal of weaponry. Because of the sheer volume of violence they are capable of raining down on America’s enemies, they are among the only service members officially designated as a weapon system on the modern battlefield. TACPs specialize in synchronizing air assets in ground combat operations, routinely embedding with Army, Navy, and Marine Corps maneuver elements to manage large areas of operations, maximize the lethal and nonlethal effects of airpower, and minimize risk to friendly forces and noncombatants.Once a year, each of the Air Force’s Air Support Operations Squadrons sends its best members to participate in the Lightning Challenge, a grueling five-day competition in which pairs of TACPs represent their ASOS as they test their technical and tactical competence, physical endurance, and ability to work as a team. Coffee or Die was given access to the 2020 Lightning Challenge to capture all the action as 14 two-man teams competed for the title of best TACPs in the Air Force.
info
prev / next