Zero Foxtrot | Particl Company Profile

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May 2, 2011. Osama bin Laden wasn’t found by luck. He was found by a name. For years, U.S. intel chased whispers through couriers, aliases, dead ends. Then in 2007, they got one that stuck: Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti. A trusted courier to bin Laden, identified through years of interrogations at black sites and Guantanamo. They knew bin Laden had gone completely dark, he didn’t use phones or emails, after the U.S. tracked a subordinate’s cell phone and launched a missile strike in 1998. By 2010, al-Kuwaiti led them to a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, just down the road from the country’s military academy. The CIA learned he lived there with his brother, and someone they called the 'pacer': a tall figure who walked the courtyard daily, never seen beyond the walls. The compound was built in 2004–05 at the end of a narrow dirt road. Simply put, it stood out, costing nearly $1 million, sitting on a plot much larger than the neighbors’, with 12–18 foot walls topped with barbed wire. No phone or internet. Trash wasn’t collected, it was burned inside the high walls. A female CIA analyst who had been on bin Laden’s trail for nearly five years believed with absolute certainty: he was inside, living with his youngest wife and children. To gather more intel, the CIA even staged a fake polio vaccination program and rented a nearby home to maintain surveillance. Still, no photo. No voice confirmation. But the behavior matched the man. So on the night of May 1, 2011 (May 2 local time), SEAL Team 6 launched from Afghanistan in stealth helicopters, flying low to avoid radar. One bird crashed. The team pushed forward anyway. 40 minutes later, bin Laden was dead. DNA confirmed. With shots to his head and chest. No U.S. casualties. One downed aircraft, destroyed on-site. He wasn’t hiding in a cave. He was living in a compound. Secure, shielded, and protected. Until he wasn’t. As tensions rise again between Pakistan and its neighbors, it’s worth remembering: Walls don’t make you invisible. Proximity doesn’t guarantee protection. Some hunts take years. But the end comes all at once.

“I don’t believe in practicing something that has to be perfect the first time and is just as dangerous in practice as in reality.” —Gary Powers, U-2 pilot. Gary Powers wasn’t worried about being shot down. He firmly believed that nothing could reach his altitude. “As long as I maintained my altitude and had no engine trouble, I would be safe,” he thought. But when disaster struck, his calm would be tested in ways he never expected. The U-2 missions were high-stakes operations personally approved by President Eisenhower, designed to gather intelligence over the Soviet Union, a task that required flying deep into enemy airspace. The flight path stretched over 1,000 miles, deep inside Soviet territory, a bold move in the Cold War chess game. These high-altitude reconnaissance flights were meant to gather critical information on Soviet missile sites and military movements, information that could change the course of history. After a smooth turn and alignment, Powers was checking his instruments when suddenly, he felt and heard a dull explosion. "It was not a bang or a loud noise but sounded like 'WHUMP.' Everything seemed to stand still for a long time. It felt like time had stopped,” he recalled. “It couldn't have been more than a second, but it seemed at least five minutes.” The plane spiraled out of control, and despite the violent motions, Powers remained shockingly clear-headed. “Surprisingly to me, I felt no fear at all in the destroyed aircraft. My mind seemed to be functioning very well throughout the descent,” he said. Despite the situation, his training and will to survive took over. “I had often wondered how I would react in an emergency. This was the first one I’d ever experienced in an aircraft, and I suppose the will to live is very strong when the end seems close.” (Continued in Comments)

The trial. August 1960. A downed American pilot, paraded in a Soviet courtroom. The U.S. had been caught red-handed, and the world watched as Francis Gary Powers sat trial for espionage. President Eisenhower, calm but cornered, called the mission a necessity, one he took full responsibility for. The fallout was immediate. Khrushchev canceled the Paris Summit. Cold War tensions thickened. And in Moscow, the KGB made their example of Powers. This was the U-2 Incident. A high-altitude game of cat and mouse, exposed for the world to see. Some things change. The faces. The uniforms. The excuses. But the dance between tyrants and free men? That’s forever.

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Gun Mats are back in stock on the site. Keep your stuff maintained, your life could depend on it.

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On target 📸🔥 #newpost#throwback#guns#gunsworld#ammo#tacticaltraining#tacticallife#gunstagram#shooting#shootingoftheday#gunsafety#train#fyp#explore#photographer#photography#views#daily#dailypost#explorepageًًً#machinegun#ars#photooftheday#train#gundaily#

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I GOT SOUL BUT IM NOT A SOLIDER BIG THANKS TO MY FRIENDS @zulufucxs FOR THE COOL ARMY MEN SHIRT BRINGS BACK ALOT OF GOOD MEMORIES FOR AN OLD-TIMER LIKE ME

Selous Scouts candidates during a 14 day Bush Survival and Tracking Course towards the end of selection. After completing this portion of selection, the remaining candidates (approximately 15%) would officially become Selous Scouts who have earned the right to wear the coveted Brown Beret and Osprey Badge Insignia. Photo from the book “Selous Scouts A Pictorial Account” by Peter Stiff.

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Vietnam wasn’t just a warzone. It was a jungle. A predator’s territory. Tigers were out there, real jungle stalkers. Not many. But enough to leave a mark on both sides. Indochinese tigers roamed the highlands, especially in areas like the A Shau Valley. Marines and NVA both reported sightings. Some patrols said tigers tracked them for days. There are even claims that the NVA set punji traps not just for American troops, but to defend themselves against the jungle’s four-legged killers. And sometimes, those killers struck. May 5, 1970 – Razorback Ridge Force Recon had set up for the night. No room for a full 360, so Sgt. Robert Phleger, the team leader, took the outermost position, furthest out on the slope. Sgt. Robert Phleger had just flown to Hawaii for some hard-earned R&R. While there, he married his high school sweetheart. When he got back to Force Recon, his team was gearing up for a short mission in the A Shau Valley. Phleger was told to sit this one out. He’d just returned. His time in country was nearly up. But he refused. He insisted on going, said the new team leader needed a proper handoff in the field. That kind of devotion was standard for the Marines of that era. Eventually, his lieutenant gave in, promising Phleger this would be his last trip to the bush. A safer job in the rear would be waiting on his return. It never came. (Continued in comments.)

Three new ways to stay zero. Which one’s coming with you? New caps live on the site.

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Inspired by 1940's US military undershirts. We incorporated the vintage style slub cotton into the fit and construction of our core tees to bring you the Cotton Skivvy Tee. The white skivvy undershirt was standard issue for many years, but it’s difficult to blend in with any background wearing a white shirt unless you’re in the snow. For Marines fighting in the Pacific Theatre 1942, white skivvy tee shirts were a bullseye for enemy forces, so they started dying their undershirts with more subdued colors like black, brown, and green.