Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadPrepared people don’t just notice more—they take faster, more effective action. That’s the edge. That’s why situational awareness and understanding how to maximize its effectiveness are vital to improving your resilience. One way to maximize your situational awareness is by understanding how to minimize the effects of your seven mental traps that interfere with how you see, interpret, and respond to the world as it develops around you. This article teaches you how to recognize the mental hurdles that get in the way—and how to reduce their impact so you can think clearly and…

After the fall of Burma (now Myanmar) to the Japanese in 1942, the United States Army fielded a contingent to fight alongside the British and Nationalist Chinese aimed toward getting it back. Although generally outnumbered and handicapped by the mountain, jungle and disease on or over which they had to operate, resourceful units such as the American Volunteer Group, or “Flying Tigers,” and Maj. Gen. Frank Merrill’s 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), acquired a legendary status for courage and ingenuity that outlived the short time frames in which they actually operated. Relative obscurity notwithstanding, less famous units, often as temporary as…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics This story, “Salmon Spree,” appeared in the June 1965 issue of Outdoor Life. Mike Rippingale and I had the spot all to ourselves — and what a spot it was! On one side stood a sheer rock wall, its feet smothered in spray made by the wind against a rampaging tide. Bits of debris showed where the tidal current boiled against the cliff and then swirled away again to create a series of riptides that tossed our boat about as if it were one of the…

The Impossible isn’t the kind of movie you watch casually. It starts with a sense of calm, lets you settle in—and then shatters everything. The film doesn’t build tension—it delivers it. The tsunami hits hard, early, and without fanfare. And from there, things get real—real quick. You don’t follow a plot—you follow a family who is grinding their way through a disaster. And because the story is true, it doesn’t feel like fiction. Naomi Watts does an excellent and believable job of getting pummeled by the tsunami. Tom Holland and Ewan McGregor bring intensity and grit to this realistic and…

As if to say to the United States that it has no control over Israel whatsoever, West Jerusalem is continuing to pound Lebanon. The strikes come in spite of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not signed the MoU. This begs the question: Should Israel be tied to whatever the US does? Or is it its own sovereign state? It seems to be proving the latter as Trump signs what amounted to a surrender deal with Iran, and the American public is sold a victory they…

The remains of all eight crew members who died on Monday at Edwards Air Force Base will be airlifted to another Air Force base for further identification and post-mortem care on Friday.On Wednesday, the base confirmed the identities of the eight individuals who perished in the B-52 Stratofortress crash. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft crashed and burst into flames on the base’s runway, with officials saying it was unsurvivable.The remains of Col. Gregory Watson, 53, Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, Maj. Robert Dee, 40, Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, Jeromy Smith,…

The Survival Movie Series begins with one of the most well-known survival films: Jeremiah Johnson. It hooks you in the first few minutes with the promise of freedom and adventure, then spends the next two hours grinding the main character, Jeremiah Johnson, down with one hard truth after another: survival can be really difficult. A man heads into the mountains to live free. No plan. No real skills. Just determination and a rifle. What he gets is a relentless series of tests and lessons—about the land, about solitude, and about the cost of learning too late. For anyone who has…

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When the sound of a gunshot pierced the lively hum of a crowded motorcade more than 60 years ago, Clint Hill threw himself across the bodies of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy.The former Secret Service Agent, whose actions became a defining part of that fatal Dallas day, was laid to rest this week at Arlington National Cemetery — the same burial ground as President Kennedy — with military honors. Hill was 93 when he passed away Feb. 21, 2025, according to the United States Secret Service Association. Hill was drafted and served three years in the Army Counterintelligence…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Largemouth bass are the most popular game fish in America for one key reason: Accessibility. No matter where you live, there’s a strong possibility there are largemouths close by. Furthermore, you don’t need an expensive boat or loads of fancy gear to successfully catch giants. The same can be said of smallmouth bass, which rank pretty close behind largemouths in terms of popularity. Even though there are plenty of bass in waters all across the country, you still need the best bass fishing tips to catch…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadYou’ve got the gear. You’ve stocked the shelves. You even got your family to humor you with a fire drill. But let me ask you something… Are you prepared for a normal Tuesday? Because most preppers aren’t. They’re dialed in for the apocalypse. But a job loss, medical issue, or house fire? That’s what trips people up. And that’s what this article is about. I’m not here to dismiss the big stuff. Never say never. But this isn’t doomsday-prepper talk. It’s about probability, not paranoia. It’s about what’s most likely to hit your life…

A U.S. Air Force special operations unit pioneered a new ammunition-linking machine in an effort to save the force millions by upcycling rounds. The 1st Special Operations Wing, located at Hurlburt Field, Florida, uses millions of 30 mm rounds from retiring A-10 Thunderbolt IIs without an assigned platform for use on AC-130J Ghostriders, according to a Wednesday release.The release states that the service expects to transfer hundreds of thousands of rounds a year to Air Force Special Operations Command, which the unit serves in, for the gunships.Since the A-10s utilize unlinked ammunition while the AC-130Js require continuous belts for “automatic,…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics There are only a handful of certainties in bass fishing. For example: When you ask someone if they can throw a baitcaster and hear: “You mean the one with the button?” That’s a hard “no.” Equally bankable is the likelihood that if I fail to retie my obviously frayed fluorocarbon after that close encounter with a dock post, my next bite will be my nearly personal best, and I will watch that fish swim away when my line —and heart—breaks. Granted, there is some degree of…

Most survival films sell you adrenaline. The Road strips that away and leaves you with something harder to face: the slow, brutal grind of collapse when everything—food, hope, morality—is running on fumes. It’s not exciting. It’s not comforting. But it’s honest. This is a story about what it really means to survive long after the world has ended. No government. No rescue. No clean water. Just a father and his son pushing forward through ash and silence. What makes it powerful isn’t action—it’s the quiet decisions made when there’s nothing left to lose. If you want a movie that shows…

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Although some of the recently announced changes to U.S. troops levels in Europe have been signaled for a year or more, they have nonetheless unnerved America’s allies and potentially emboldened Moscow. American troops have been in Europe for decades not merely to underwrite NATO treaty commitments but more specifically to safeguard the country’s most important trading and investment relationship in the world.Cutting U.S. troops in Europe places transatlantic trade and investment ties in jeopardy, but additionally, the decision represents a potential missed opportunity – Washington risks giving away something for nothing. Russia wants U.S. troop reductions in Europe, and it’s…

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More › I love watches, even smart watches, and they’re an essential piece of gear for daily life and the outdoors. The problem is they’re expensive and you’ll want more than one to cover a range of scenarios. Maybe you want a simple and easy to read Hamilton Khaki Field for a daily driver, a Garmin fēnix® 8 Pro for the gym, and a Citizen Brycen Chronograph for date night. Luckily all those watches and more are on sale for great prices during…

When a storm separates astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) from his crew and strands him on Mars, there’s no cavalry coming. No quick fix. Just a hostile planet, limited supplies, and a survival clock ticking down. Watney’s not an action hero—he’s a skilled guy with the right mindset, doing his best when everything falls apart. He leans into what he knows—botany, engineering, and problem-solving—to stay alive. Back on Earth, NASA scrambles to help, and his crew considers a high-risk rescue. It’s survival stripped down to skill, grit, and action. What makes The Martian worth watching isn’t just the setting or…

More and more people, especially those in urban and suburban areas, have come to realize the importance of being ready for emergencies. One concern that is common among urban preppers is how to prepare effectively without letting the entire neighborhood know you’re stocked and ready. That’s where a low-profile survival plan comes in. If you live in an apartment complex, a cul-de-sac, or a tightly knit community, drawing attention to your preparedness efforts can make you a target when things go awry. The last thing you want during a crisis is to become a target. Let’s look at ways to…

This article was originally published by Michael Snyder at The End of the American Dream. Those who believe that the global energy crisis is going to be magically solved by a “memorandum of understanding” that is already being violated by both sides are going to be in for a very rude awakening. As you will see below, the Iranians have continued to launch drones at commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. How are shipowners and insurance companies supposed to feel comfortable while this is going on? In the “memorandum of understanding”, Iran agreed to allow commercial vessels to travel…

Scott Einsmann is Outdoor Life’s gear editor. He oversees the gear team’s editors and writers who are subject matter experts in bows, knives, hunting, fishing, backpacking, and more. He lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and two bird dogs. Read the full article here

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadMost people prepping for trouble think about food, firearms, or gear. But few people start out thinking about clothing as part of their gear—even though the clothes on your back, and whether you have a plan for scaling up and down based on your risk, might matter more than any of it. That’s why my friend Josh Burmeister, a former Navy SERE instructor and Executive Protection pro, and I broke it down into six clear levels. This isn’t about buying a closet full of tactical costumes. It’s about understanding your clothing as a layered,…

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