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Published: Thursday, 21 June 2018 00:40

Kevin Williams, left, and John Paul Finnigan were battle buddies in Iraq

They saw a lot of combat.  I was with them for some of it.  Great Soldiers.  Swift and Bold was the moto of their unit, the excellent 2-Rifles.

I do not know who made the photograph of Kevin.  I made the photograph of John after a big firefight in which about 30 enemy were killed. The unit later was accused of war crimes for that firefight but that was a lie.  I witnessed zero war crimes.  Just a big shootout with thousands of bullets coming and going.

The firefight.

Read more: British Army Buddies: The Tragic Suicides of Kevin Williams and John Paul Finnigan

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Published: Tuesday, 29 May 2018 09:00

BookX – The Michael Yon Campfire Series

I am an author, photographer, war correspondent, and former cannibal hunter. Stick with me, and you might find this to be the most interesting fundraiser you’ve ever seen. The best parts are near the end.

According to Los Angeles Times, my simple website was once one of the busiest in the world. This success was accomplished with only a laptop, camera, and willingness to swim deeper into war than practically any correspondent.

According to the New York Times,

“…[Michael Yon] has spent most of the last three years in Iraq, writing prolifically and graphically, and racking up more time embedded with combat units than any other journalist, according to the United States military. He has been shot at, buffeted by explosions and seen more people maimed — fighters and civilians, adults and children — than he can count.”

I was just getting started when that article came out in 2008. The ‘best’ is yet to come. Readers who invested in me always got their money’s worth.

Read more: Combat, Cannibals, and other True Campfire Stories

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Published: Sunday, 01 April 2018 22:39

We attended Winter Haven High School together and sometimes worked out together and were on the same football team.

Scott went on to become the youngest Navy SEAL ever, at just 17. The same age that some students today say, "We are just kids, leave us alone." At 17, Scott was no kid. He was a man. And a SEAL.

Read more: Scott Helvenston was lost in Iraq on 31 March 2004

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Published: Wednesday, 28 March 2018 17:58

When I was covering the war in Iraq, I saw some people burned alive and others terribly burned. This happened often due to the enemy adding flame accelerants into car bombs and other IEDs.

Read more: Flame Resistant War Correspondent

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Published: Wednesday, 07 March 2018 15:35

If it were not happening to me so often, all these complaints might seem like exaggeration. They are not exaggeration. Of the recent about 120 days, my account has been blocked for 60 days. Why? This earned the first 30-day Facebook suspension:

Read more: Censorship: Facebook Strikes Again, in Favor of North Koreans

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Published: Friday, 02 March 2018 14:17

Do not dare say any truth about Chong Dae Hyup on Facebook. Facebook blocked my account again, for 30 days, for this simple sentence: “Koreans sure are easy to fool. They even think Chong Dae Hyup is on their side.”

I researched Chong Dae Hyup (CDH) in Korea. Went to their headquarters, conducted long intervews with members there and on the Korean streets and in California. CDH is a straight up communist organization who works for North Korea and does bidding for China. One of their members already tried to assassinate our Ambassador.

Read more: Facebook Blocked my Account, Again

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Published: Tuesday, 11 October 2016 14:12

My book Danger Close is now Available as E-book -- please buy it:

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Published: Friday, 10 April 2015 13:20

デュース・フォーの指揮官たち：ロバート・プロッサー司令上級曹長とエリック・クリーヤ中佐が病院の外にいるダニエルの母親に電話をかける

イラク・モスル

戦争においてさえ、戦闘は予期しない形で訪れる。

月曜に、モスル西部で作戦従事中に、無線で声がとどき、我々の兄弟部隊である3-21がチグリス川の反対側にあたるモスル東部で敵と交戦中との連絡が入った。その直後に、ウィル・ショックリー二等軍曹が米兵一人死亡という報告を我々にもたらした。我々はチグリス川の自陣側にいるはずの敵方射撃手を探し始めたが、すでに逃亡していた。ホセ・L・ルイスが戦死した。

モスルの状況は改善しているが、我々の部隊は今も毎日戦い続けている。今回の戦争は数年前に皆が思っていたような戦争とは異なるものかも知れない。だがいざ砲撃が始まると、事前の計画など単なる役立たずの正装に過ぎなくなる。

Read more: 烈炎の関門

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Published: Tuesday, 12 February 2008 22:34

Published: August 31, 2005

Mosul, Iraq

Combat comes unexpectedly, even in war.

On Monday, while conducting operations in west Mosul, a voice came over the radio saying troops from our brother unit, the 3-21, were fighting with the enemy in east Mosul on the opposite side of the Tigris River. Moments later, SSG Will Shockley relayed word to us that an American soldier was dead. We began searching for the shooters near one of the bridges on our side of the Tigris, but they got away. Jose L. Ruiz was killed in action.

Although the situation in Mosul is better, our troops still fight here every day. This may not be the war some folks had in mind a few years ago. But once the shooting starts, a plan is just a guess in a party dress.

Read more: Gates of Fire