NEWS & STORIES
A blog about what we love: people, rucking and training, the military, manufacturing, local pride, dogs, and the finer things in life. Like beer.

The History of Merino Wool
By Richard Rice Wool has been a clothing staple for our military and outdoor enthusiasts for hundreds of years and our earliest soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines all relied on wool...

Ruck to Hike
By Michael Easter Five ways to use rucking to prep for a perfect fall hike or backpacking trip. October is prime hiking season. The trails aren’t muddy like they can...

The Truth About Your Post Ruck Beer
By Dr. Mike Roussell Every GORUCK Event that I’ve done has always ceremoniously ended with beers in the parking lot. I will wager that this is the best tasting beer...

Rucking & Mental Health: How Rucking Improves Your Outlook
By Michael Easter The pandemic wasn’t great for our mental health. The problem wasn’t just the stress of working in hectic conditions or worrying about getting sick. We spent more...

Why Rucking is the Best Exercise for Women
By Michael Easter Why Rucking is the Best Exercise for Women and What You Need to Know When I started writing about rucking for my book, The Comfort Crisis, something...

Peace
By Jaala Shaw Relationships build peace. It is very easy to disagree with someone you do not know; to disrespect a culture you’ve never experienced. It is the mission of...

The Case for Rucking Meetings
By Michael Easter Rucking Meetings Improve Productivity, Relieve Zoom Fatigue, and Burn More Calories than Walking I’ve written at length about the benefits of being a 2-Percenter. You can read...

Why Humans Were Born to Ruck
By Michael Easter A new book argues carrying weight for distance—not running—is what made us human Last fall I found myself standing on the Arctic Tundra. I was about 120...

We Will Prevail
By Richard Rice A Series of Historical Vignettes from Ft. Bragg In times of uncertainty, fear and stress we tend to revert to our roots, base learnings and heritage. And that...

Back in Vietnam, 45 Years Later
By Richard Rice For a lot of years I’ve listened to my friends and the people I served with talk about their trips back to Vietnam. It was interesting to...

As A Team: A Service First Story
A Fire Department responds to a fire every 23 seconds in the United States. It takes a lot of training, hard work, and courage to do so. Firefighters are pillars...

A Dog Named Leia: A Service First Story
Veteran transition issues are a big deal these days. We hear about PTSD and TBI and the effects of war. It’s easy to imagine how some might wonder if all...

SWAT: A Service First Story
The connection between law enforcement and the military is a strong one, grounded in service before self and a commitment to the values we hold dear in the United States...

Stop The Bleeding: A Service First Story
Trauma medicine – how a first responder should treat someone hurt or injured – has evolved rapidly based on lessons learned in the post-9/11 wars. One example is that yes...

Foot Care: How to Take Care of Your Feet
By Cadre Garrett “Pain don’t hurt.”— Patrick Swayze, Road House My feet first spoke to me in the summer of 1995. I was 12 years old and running track. It was cool...

The GORUCK Spearhead Explained
By Jason McCarthy The GORUCK Tough patch is not for sale. It takes inspiration from the First Special Service Force’s spearhead, and the only way to earn it is to...