The mix of art and craft keeps this blacksmith of 20 years going. Jonathan Rummel, owner/operator of Hand Forged Works in North Andover, Massachusetts, sees himself as both an artisan and a craftsman. “I think there’s a fine line between the ...
Hard-Working Americans: The Mechanic
These days, being a mechanic means changing with the times. No one knows that better than Ernie Alix, who owns and operates Ernie’s Garage in Windham, New Hampshire. Because his father was also a mechanic, he’s spent his whole life in garages, but ...
Legless Legends: Double Amputees Climb Pikes Peak to Raise Awareness for Veteran Organization
Mandy Horvath’s father proudly presented her with her 1-year-sober chip last Sunday, August 18, after she summited Pikes Peak in Colorado. After losing both her legs in a train accident in 2014, Horvath has traveled a path of literal highs, such ...
Despite Setbacks, Veteran Aims to be First Purple Heart Recipient to Climb Seven Summits
On April 25, 2015, Benjamin Breckheimer was climbing Mount Everest. A U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, with titanium rods in both femurs and his right tibia, he was pursuing an amazing opportunity to summit the tallest mountain in the ...
25 Years Later: A Look at the Genocide in Rwanda and the Woman Who Tried to Prevent It
Twenty-five years ago in Rwanda, one of the worst genocides in modern history ended after four months of government-organized slaughter. At least half a million people were killed, often by their own neighbors and friends, simply ...
How Some Veterans are Reconnecting with Nature — and Themselves
The van let the group of veterans from Heroic Hearts Project out at the bottom of a two-lane country road. It was too steep for the vehicle to go any farther. As they hiked deeper into the Peruvian jungle, flocks of chickens ran ...
For the Hafers, Black Rifle Coffee is a Family Affair
Ed Hafer has been the facilities supervisor at Black Rifle Coffee Company since the first day they opened for business. But it wasn’t a tough job to score — his son, Evan, is the company’s founder and CEO. “My dad is one of the hardest working men ...
The Air Force Silver Star Recipient Who Refused to Leave His Teammates Behind
On Jan. 3, 2010, Senior Airman Bradley Smith earned a Silver Star, but he would not be alive to accept it two years later. As a part of the 10th Air Support Operations Squadron, a U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) supporting a ...
Meet the Single Mother Who Was the First Female Assigned to an 82nd Airborne Infantry Brigade
Every May, on the second Sunday of the month, the United States celebrates mothers. But especially notable are mothers who accomplish a balancing act that few among the national population can imagine — serving in the military while also acting as ...
VALOR Clinic Foundation Helps Veterans Cope With Civilian Life
Spencer Alan Reiter first got sober in 2005 when he was still in the U.S. Army. He stayed sober for nine years but started drinking again after a divorce separated him from his wife and kids. “I knew I was doing wrong, but I did it anyway,” ...
How a Gold Star Wife Navigated Life After The Call
As the head of the Family Readiness Group for her husband’s platoon at Fort Drum, New York, Jennifer Hansen was the first to start getting phone calls from distraught family members one early December night in 2009. First, it was the wife of a ...
Review: 3 Military-Centric Movies You Can Stream From Home
From fiction to documentary, past wars to current conflicts, there is a wealth of military-related content available on streaming services right now. I watched three of the big ones — “Combat Obscura,” “Triple Frontier,” and “They Shall Not Grow Old” ...
Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Marches on Despite the End of a Tradition
When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, people generally think of Chicago’s dyed-green river, the busy streets of New York City, or the huge Irish population of Boston. However, since 1824, when the Hibernian Society organized the first ...
Meet Julie Golob: Army Veteran, Professional Shooter, NRA Board Member
When she was 8 years old, Julie Golob got an unexpected Christmas present from her grandfather — he had bought all his grandchildren life memberships to the National Rifle Association. “He was an all-around Rush Limbaugh guy, World War II ...
From Drinkin’ Bros to The Flop House, How Facebook Groups Are Providing Real-Life Support
At the beginning of 2018, Facebook announced that it would be changing the News Feed aspect of the website to eliminate most posts from Facebook “pages” to allow for more content from friends and family. “We've gotten feedback from ...
Fred the Afghan: How a Stray Dog Changed a Marine’s Life
When former U.S. Marine Craig Grossi inserted into the Sangin District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on his first combat deployment in 2010, he knew it would be an intense experience, but he certainly didn’t expect it to take his life in a ...
Operation Supply Drop Might Be the Coolest Military Support Organization Ever
Operation Supply Drop has come a long way from its initial intention of sending out care packages to troops overseas. Glenn D. Banton Sr., OSD’s CEO, was effusive when discussing his vision for the future of the organization. “We’re in the ...
The Inside Story of an SBS Veteran who Rowed Across the Atlantic
After more than two months alone on a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, Tim Crockett, 47, was two miles from the finish line of the Talisker Whisky Challenge when he considered abandoning ship. “I had to clear the headland right in front of the harbor ...
Polar Vortex: Wisconsin Fire Chief’s Beard Turns to Icicles
If you’ve ever lived in Wisconsin, you know that a trip “Up Nort” brings with it a special kind of cold. Nothing exemplifies that better than this picture of Cameron Fire Department Chief Mitch Hansen simply doing his job — in the middle of the ...
The Only Way to Make Steak and Eggs is the Black Rifle Coffee Way
When you’re talking breakfast, steak and eggs is sure to be mentioned as the best way to start your day. So is Black Rifle Coffee. Combining the two is a no-brainer. To start, toss in a quarter cup of fresh coffee grounds with a vibrant mix of ...
How to Make Wild Game Chili the Black Rifle Coffee Way
There’s no better use for ground meat than chili, especially when it’s got real heat and kick behind it. So grind up some fresh game, pull out a couple of beers (one for you, one for the chili) and some Black Rifle Coffee, and follow these steps for ...
How to Make Biscuits & Sausage Gravy the Black Rifle Coffee Way
Plenty of us love Southern cooking, and there’s nothing that says down-home like sausage gravy and biscuits. Add in some Black Rifle Coffee, and you’ve got a traditional dish with an innovative twist. You can make your own biscuits or get them ...
How to Make Pancakes the Black Rifle Coffee Way
Pancakes are easy to make — but easy can also mean boring. Instead, try cooking up these mancakes infused with Black Rifle Coffee. The fundamental components of pancakes are important. Milk, eggs, flour, butter. Look at the mancake ingredients and ...
How to Make Ham Steak & Eggs the Black Rifle Coffee Way
If you’re looking for a new delicious way to cook the other white meat, you need to try this simple and savory recipe for ham steak and eggs that uses a delicious rub mixed with Black Rifle Coffee. Break out your cast iron skillet (while ...
The 10 Best Coffee Moments in American Movie History
Coffee has always been a staple of American cinema, from Audrey Hepburn carrying a cup along Fifth Avenue in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” to Jim Jarmusch’s ode to simple conversation, “Coffee and Cigarettes.” Whether in a sturdy mug or a classic blue ...
Christmas is Complicated for an Agnostic Parent Raising Jewish Children
Approximately six months into my relationship with my college boyfriend, we were sitting at a Pizza Hut when he nervously told me, “When I have kids, I want to raise them Jewish.” I shrugged. “That’s fine with me.” And that’s how a lapsed ...
This Is Not Where You Die
Omar “Crispy” Avila has made a name for himself among military veterans on social media. Between his motivational messaging, love of bow hunting, Paralympic powerlifting, and overall inspirational persona, the former infantryman has gathered almost ...
This US Air Force Combat Controller Made a Movie On An iPhone
The U.S. Air Force’s elite Combat Controllers are known for their ability to jump, dive, and shoot in the most austere environments on earth, all while calling in fire missions or landing aircraft onto recently seized runways. These special operators ...
Mount a Vulcan Cannon to a Prius in 15 Easy Steps
This October, Black Rifle Coffee Company’s Richard Ryan, who you may know from the popular YouTube channel FullMag, got the chance to fulfill a dream he’s had for over a decade: mounting an M61 Vulcan cannon to the top of a Toyota Prius. Everyone ...
The Woman Behind Disney’s Incredible Pyrotechnic Shows
At midday in Disney’s Epcot Theme Park, the bridge near the China pavilion of the World Showcase lifts to stop all pedestrian traffic. Hundreds of tourists who had moments before been traversing the path that leads around the World Showcase stop in ...