I’m a big fan of Chris Wimmer’s Legends of the Old West Podcast. Even when he rustles a topic right out from under me, like he did a couple of years back with the Pleasant Valley War. Legends is really good stuff, and if you haven’t discovered it yet, you’ve got hours of compelling frontier history ahead of you.
Confederate Brigadier General Ben McCulloch, a legendary Texas Ranger, was brought down by Union rifle fire at the Battle of Pea Ridge. (Art by Andy Thomas)
Wimmer’s current series picks up from an early set of podcasts, and continues the history of the Texas Rangers as Texas secedes from the Union, and Texas Rangers go to war on behalf of the Confederate States of America. The first episode spins the tale of the Great Captain Ben McCulloch, who was KIA at the Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern) in 1862.
Typically, McCulloch was scouting forward, armed with a breechloading Morse carbine, which he considered the future of cavalry armament.
The episode also engages with Sul Ross, who, as a Texas Ranger, led the 1860 operation that recovered — or captured, depending on your viewpoint — Cynthia Ann Parker, who had been taken by Comanche in a raid in 1839, and had since married Chief Peta Nacona, and fathered a couple of sons, one of whom was named Quanah, destined to be the last free Comanche war captain.
Ross became a cavalry scout under McCulloch, and later a capable Confederate cavalry commander who fought in a total of 136 engagements.
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Somehow, The Wind & The Reckoning slipped past me. I’m going to have to rectify that right away.
The caper:
1893. The Hawaiian Kingdom has been overthrown by a Western power just as an outbreak of leprosy engulfs the tropical paradise. The new government orders all Native Hawaiians suspected of having the foreign disease banished permanently to a remote colony on the island of Moloka’i that is known as “the island of the living grave.” When a local cowboy named Ko’olau and his young son Kalei contract the dreaded disease, they refuse to allow their family to be separated, sparking an armed clash with brutal white island authorities that will make Ko’olau and his wife, Pi’ilani heroes for the ages.
Based on real-life historical events as told through the memoirs of Pi’ilani herself.
Getting strong Utu vibes from this one.
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For reasons connected to the Ranger Project, I’ve delved into special operations in Afghanistan. That, of course, led me to reel back to the Soviet-Afghan War that launched at the end of the watershed year of 1979, and reverberated across the next four decades.
I was in the 9th grade when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and I remember being disappointed that the USA boycotted the 1980 Olympics because of it. I didn’t get geo-political gestures at that age. In high school and college, I read Soldier of Fortune Magazine articles extolling the fighting virtues of the mujahideen, little knowing that seeds of Islamic radicalism were being sown in Afghanistan that would rock our world.
Steve Coll’s Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 is the best book I know on the subject. This documentary is also very interesting.
Rick Schwertfeger says
Sul Ross is a Texan with a fascinating history. Along with what you recounted above, he eventually served two terms as the 19th Governor of Texas; then served as president of Texas A&M University. Sul Ross State University is named for him. It’s in one of my favorite places, the very pleasant town of Alpine, out in West Texas. The Center for Big Bend Studies and the very nice Museum of the Big Bend are at the University.
Interestingly, despite having been a Confederate General, Sul Ross has avoided major controversy regarding whether statues should honor him today – there is one at Sul Ross University and one at Texas A&M – and even whether a university should be named for him! My understanding is that he was quite a “balanced” gentleman. And, despite that his parents owned slaves while farming, Sul Ross “never owned slaves, and he formed the Sheriff’s Association of Texas to help stop mob violence. As governor, he pardoned more black men in prison because he felt they had been wronged than all the previous governors combined.”
Ugly Hombre says
SOF magazine did a lot of great reporting back in the day- the first to reveal some new Soviet small arms, combat reporting from in country. Gear reviews etc. I still have a Combat 88 holster for a Black Hawk that works for a Colt as well because of one of their field tests. Great Viet Nam and Africa “I was there” stories. I had a big stack of them I lost in a move- the old ones are worth big bucks today. Got Bill Bagwell’s book because he was writing for them.
SOF was on the stands in the magazine section of the BX and PX. Along with “Play Boy” etc. back in ancient times.
The horror the horror…
lol
David Wrolson says
Ah-SoF in the mid 80’s. I used a story from it for high school senior thesis on Grenada. Actually, I am afraid that I basically copied it word for word the night before it was due. Statute of Limitations and all. I think the only reason that my liberal English teacher let it slide was that she found a later issue on the newstands and the magazine scared her. She let me know that she was not happy with my source.
There was a guy the year ahead of me who did his 9th Grade career paper on being a mercenary and I think he basically became one.
Special Forces and such and I know he met his wife while he was training police in Columbia.
Ugly Hombre says
“She let me know that she was not happy with my source.” I bet!
The horror! lol
https://sofmag.com/
“I Ran a Black Market Supply Operation in Vietnam, Using Whiskey as Currency”
The are still around on line still doing good stuff. R.K. Brown has retired- a lady is the editor now iirc.
https://sofmag.com/my-black-market-vietnam/
“A reporter for one of the larger Midwest dailies, he’d arrived in Vietnam so recently that he was still peeing stateside water. At his first Saigon stop, the Associated Press office, he’d received a brief orientation. “Get over to the Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office for press credentials, then go back to the airport and get up to An Khe—the First Air Cav. When you get there, find a little sergeant in the PIO section, name’s Wolf, and ask him for field gear—you can’t cover this war dressed like you were reporting school board meetings. Bring him a couple of bottles of bourbon and some Kodak 35mm film. Oh, and his boss will probably point you at a good story.”
Good stuff- lol They don’t write like that anymore- a pity imo. The old military allowed to have fun and wacky adventures.. I sure miss the old print magazines and writers. Bland writing with little flavor those days in on line mags mostly- imo.
SOF on line it a’int like it used to be but it’ll do.
I think Greg Walker might still write for them?
JimC says
I don’t think Greg has written for SOF for a while. He’s still in touch with Brown. I’ll ask him.
Greg Walker says
I have known Bob Brown for decades now. We remain in touch. He is in his early 90s. Wrote for SOF and was on its masthead as Battle Blades editor after Bagwell departed.
The Old Crew was quite the outfit, for sure.
I have Phil Foley’s, aka “Paul Fanshaw”, lizard pattern jacket – well worn by Phil – on my desk chair in honor of my old friend.
JimC says
Wonderful. Thanks for dropping in Greg.
Ugly Hombre says
He writes great articles- sure must have been fun as hell to work with the old SOF crew- I just ordered a couple of 90’s issues off of flea bay. Old school gonzo writing with adventure- sure to cheer you up. The SOF web site is kind of low key now, but still hits the mark.
“Sometimes you never know who your neighbors are and I don’t mean that in the ax murderer scenario way”
So true..
https://sofmag.com/tommy-king-war-hero/
“Tommy, Holy Cow! That’s the Silver Star and DFC. How did you earn those? Tommy just sighed and glanced at the wall for a second and then back to me. “Well, I guess I stayed on station just a bit too long while over in Vietnam.”
I met a low key Air Commando/ Air America Vet. at the BX last weekend- signing his book.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31773669687&dest=usa&ref_=ps_ggl_17730880232&cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade_10to20-_-product_id=COM9780578346472USED-_-keyword=
https://www.pbs.org/video/my-vietnam-war-story-robert-dohlke-l1u7d5/
Mr. Dohlke’s story would be a good fit for SOF imo.
SQUIRE RUSTICUS says
I’d met Robert K. Brown on July 14, 1998 at my grandfather’s funeral at Arlington.
I walked up to Colonel Brown and told him who I was and that I’d been a “big fan” of the magazine for many years.
My father had run a writer for SOF at the Normandy celebration in 1984, and brought me back his card (COYNE). Dad had a good conversation with the gentleman. I ofcourse knew them all from reading the magazine back then, but cannot remember their names now.
Colonel Brown said kind things about my grandfather, mentioned wishing to get directions to the gathering at my grandparents house in McLean, after the funeral, but was preoccupied with the CNN reports on SOG in Laos Operation “Tailhook” using chemical weapons. It was the topic that dominated about 90 % of our conversation.
Most of what I knew of Colonel Brown came from people whom knew him, and family friends like Air America pilot Ed Dearborn. Ed flew Col Brown and his crew around, when not flying for MGM Airlines or for the Contras.
Ed came through Wichita in the early 90’s, my father came down, we went to eat then stayed up late into the night talking of the past (Vietnam, Laos, Congo, family Agency friends, and Central America ) at my apartment. Ed also gave my father and I an invitation to Vegas to the SOF Convention. I’d always wished to go, but always had something else to contend with.
Colonel Brown never showed up to the gathering after the funeral which I would have enjoyed greatly. While I was talking to him, he excused himself to talk with General Jack Singlaub whom gave one of my grandfather’s eulogies (along with General Victor Hugo and Rufus Phillips). I’d assumed he would get the address and directions from others.
I awaited his book “I am Soldier of Fortune”, but was disappointed it contained just a sentence about my grandfather and Mitch Werbell (not knowing where the truth lay between them).
Grandfather was a SPOOK…I’ve heard him described as a Super Spook. Does one think they will ever know everything, get the facts of classified projects, missions, when their tentacles reach into so many areas ???
I guess I’d hoped to hear a story I’d never heard before, something with an odd twist or the unusual. NOPE… did not get it.
Like some of the others, I used information gleaned from Soldier of Fortune Magazine as references, along with books, other sources. My Political Science Professors whom probably never even picked up a copy, discounted my source as suspect. I was always receiving critical analysis over any reference that was sourced from SOF. But I did not it let keep me from trying. At the time, I found them a great source for what was going on in the bush. Especially when 80’s journalism was so biased about places like Africa (anti-colonialism), Communist terrorist good, white farmers (of 200 or 300 years history) bad. My great aunt was on a photo safari in South Africa about 2008-09 when she had to be flown off the farm she and the group were staying at, as terrorist came in killing the livestock and burning the farm buildings. A common occurrence in safe Africa.
Most books are written by persons that were never there, sourced from what they decided to include in a book. It comes with their bias, to make the point they wish to make. In the 1960’s or 70’s one writer wrote, my Grandfather escaped France by swimming the English Channel, which other books regurgitated instead of him catching a boat to Martinique which is what he did. He could barely swim. At Bragg when they built the new officers club, he would not go close to the pool, as he feared someone pushing him in as a joke, and him drowning.
I picked up my first copy of SOF at a grocery store in like 1978, and had a subscription in the 80’s until the early 90’s. To me the magazine was a little less then it once was after the first Gulf War. It started to cover more US Military activities, not as much Third World, mercenary, action adventure.
I had every issue for many years, which my mother threw away.
I also took the other magazines like Eagle, New Breed, the Mercenary Magazine (there was about 5 different magazines in the 80’s). None like SOF, it was something I delighted to receive in the mail.
JimC says
This is wonderful. Thank you.
James L. Pate says
I just happened to come across this discussion group while trying to find out if Ed Dearborn is still alive. I got to know him when I was a staff writer/editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine. I first met him in El Salvador, when I was trying to get to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. My problem was it took a day of arduous travel back to the airport in Salvador, and I needed to get down to the Contras’ sprawling Las Vegas camp on the Honduran border with Nicaragua, which took another day of bone-jarring dirt roads to get to Vegas. Ed hooked me up with a Southern Air Transport fixed-wing headed to Las Vegas camp. It picked me up along with a member of SOF’s “advisory group” at a dirt strip in Morazon Province. Thanks to Ed, we got where we needed to go as quick as was possible.
As to the magazine’s accuracy:
When I covered the Waco hearings on Capitol Hill, U.S Sen. Charles Shumer, holding up a copy of SOF between his thumb and index finger, like it was a 10-day-old dog turd, proclaimed that it was “a magazine not known for its veracity,” in much the same way as David Wrolson’s high school teacher dismissed as a credible source of anything.
Well, I would point out to them that the CIA subscribed to 21 copies per month to their central library back in the 1980s. I still have a photo copy of their order I got from the office’s subscription department. As for its “veracity,” SOF published my first article on the then-budding militia movement years before Tim McVeigh blew up the Murrah Federal Building in OK City. When McVeigh was tried in Denver, I was supoenaed as an expert witness on the militia movement.
As late as it is, I had to respond. Best wishes.
JimC says
Thank you and welcome to the campfire.