News

The plunge: Ice-Breaker Drill increases mission readiness

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. - Frigid wind blows across Levitt Lake as Marines gather on its frosted, glinting surface. At 9,000 feet, the temperature is well below freezing. With a pack on one shoulder and ski poles gripped tightly, a mountain leader steps onto the skis, sharply inhales the crisp air and prepares to take the plunge into the freezing water

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A member of U.S. Special Forces readies his mount. U.S. forces train to be combat-ready on horseback, if necessary, as it was in Afghanistan. - A member of U.S. Special Forces readies his mount. U.S. forces train to be combat-ready on horseback, if necessary, as it was in Afghanistan.

New horsepower for war zones: Special Forces saddle up

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. — The men emerged over the crest of a ridge and guided their horses along a tree line, skirting a wide meadow. They picked their way along narrow trails, climbing higher into the Sierra until a panorama of snowcapped peaks and a broad green valley unfolded beneath them.The men, Special Forces soldiers dressed in jeans and other

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New: Mountain Warfare Training Center teaches advanced horsemanship

MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, Calif. - The MWTC near Bridgeport, Calif., has begun teaching an advanced horsemanship training course in order to teach Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel the necessary skills to enable them to ride horses, load pack animals, and maintain animals for military applications in remote and dangerous

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