Background
One of the reasons for many American citizens to join the Crippled Eagles was the Soldier of Fortune reports about both the Rhodesian Bush War and the means of entry into of the Rhodesian Security Forces. From 1976 to 1980 almost every issue contained one or more articles about the ongoing conflict. The first issue of the magazine in 1975 actually contained two such articles, prompting some Americans to travel to Rhodesia. After 1980, their attention turned to Angola, Soweto and other hotspots around the world.
Numbering approximately 300 men, some with previous combat experience in Vietnam and other theatres of war, others with none, volunteered to fight in the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. They did so not as mercenaries, but as ordinary soldiers, earning a pay packet in local currency equal to that of a Rhodesian regular, under the same conditions of service. The Americans suffered seven combat fatalities and many others were wounded in combat, some maimed for life.
Read more about this topic: The Crippled Eagles
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