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<div>{{Infobox Magazine<br />
| title = Soldier of Fortune<br />
| image_file = Soldier of fortune cover sept95.gif<br />
| image_size = 250px<br />
| image_caption = September 1995 cover<br />
| company = Omega Group Ltd.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/legal-services/legal-services-legal/4044389-1.html ''Omega First Amendment Legal Fund''], All Business, allbusiness.com</ref><br />
| category = [[paramilitary]]<br />
| frequency = Monthly<br />
| total_circulation = <br />
| circulation_year = <br />
| language = [[English language|English]], many others<br />
| subject_category = <br />
| editor = [[Robert K. Brown]]<br />
| editor_title = [[Editing|Editor]]/[[Publisher]]<br />
| founded = 1975<br />
| finaldate = April 2016<br />
| country = United States<br />
| based = [[Boulder, Colorado]]<br />
| website = [http://www.sofmag.com www.sofmag.com]<br />
}}<br />
'''''Soldier of Fortune''''' ('''SOF'''), ''The Journal of Professional Adventurers'', is a [[periodical]] monthly mercenary magazine devoted to worldwide reporting of wars, including [[conventional warfare]], [[low-intensity warfare]], [[counter insurgency]], and [[counter-terrorism]]. ''SOF'' magazine is published by the Omega Group Ltd., in [[Boulder, Colorado]].<ref>"[http://www.sofmag.com/contact-sof Contact Us]." ''Soldier of Fortune''. Retrieved September 24, 2011. "2135 11th St. Boulder, CO 80303"</ref><br />
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==History==<br />
''Soldier of Fortune'' magazine was founded in 1975, by [[Lieutenant Colonel]], [[U.S. Army Reserve]], (Ret.) [[Robert K. Brown]], a [[United States Army Special Forces|Green Beret]] who served with Special Forces in [[Vietnam]].<ref>[http://www.nrawinningteam.com/bios00/brown.html ''Robert K. Brown''], Biography, National Rifle Association</ref> After retiring from active duty, Brown began publishing a “circular”, magazine type publication with few pages, which contained information on [[mercenary]] employment in [[Oman]], where the Sultan [[Qaboos of Oman|Qaboos]] had recently [[deposition (politics)|deposed]] his father and was battling a [[Dhofar Rebellion|communist insurgency]]. Brown's small circular soon evolved into a glossy, large-format, full color magazine. Significant to the early development of ''SOF'' magazine was its unprecedented, successful recruitment of foreign nationals to serve in the [[Rhodesian Security Forces]], during the [[Rhodesian Bush War]] (1964–79).<ref>[[Ward Churchill]], "U.S. Mercenaries in Southern Africa: The Recruiting Network and U.S. Policy", ''[[Africa Today]]'', Vol. 27, No. 2, External Intervention in Africa (2nd Qtr., 1980), pp. 21–46</ref><ref>[[James Taulbee|James L. Taulbee]], "Soldiers of fortune: A legal leash for the dogs of war?", ''Defense & Security Analysis'', 1475-1801, Volume 1, Issue 3, 1985, pp. 187–203</ref> During the late 1970s and the 1980s, the success and popularity of a military magazine such as ''SOF'' led to the proliferation of like magazines such as ''[[Survive (magazine)|Survive]]'', ''[[Gung Ho! (magazine)|Gung Ho!]]'', ''[[New Breed (magazine)|New Breed]]'', ''[[Eagle (men's magazine)|Eagle]]'', ''[[Combat Illustrated]]'', ''[[Special Weapons and Tactics (magazine)|Special Weapons and Tactics]]'', and ''[[Combat Ready (magazine)|Combat Ready]]''.<br />
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The April 2016 issue of ''Soldier of Fortune'' was the final edition to appear in print; future editions of the magazine will only be distributed online.<ref>[http://www.guns.com/2016/03/01/soldier-of-fortune-magazine-to-stop-publishing-after-40-years/ Guns]</ref><ref>[http://soldiersystems.net/2016/03/01/the-internet-claims-another-victim-soldier-of-fortune-magazine-to-cease-hard-copy-publication-goes-digital-only/ The Internet Claims Another Victim – ‘Soldier of Fortune’ Magazine To Cease Hard Copy Publication, Go Digital Only] ''Soldiers Systems''. Retrieved March 9, 2016.</ref><br />
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=="Gun for Hire" lawsuits==<br />
=== Grievous injury ===<br />
During the late 1980s, ''Soldier of Fortune'' was sued in civil court several times, for having published classified advertisements of services by (private) mercenaries. In 1987, Norman Norwood, of Arkansas, sued ''SOF'' magazine, because of injuries he suffered during a [[Homicide|murder]] attempt by two men hired via a "Gun for Hire" advert in the magazine. The US District Court denied the magazine's motion for [[summary judgment]] based upon the Constitutional right of free speech under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]]. The Court said, "reasonable jurors could find that the advertisement posed a substantial risk of harm" and that "gun for hire" ads were not the type of speech intended for protection under the First Amendment.<ref>[http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/wbardwel/public/nfalist/norwood_v_sof.txt Norwood v. Soldier of Fortune, Inc.], United States District Court, W.D. Arkansas, Fayetteville Division, January 29, 1987</ref> In the end, Mr Norwood and ''Soldier of Fortune'' magazine settled his lawsuit out of court.<ref name="smothers">Smothers, Ronald, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DC123DF93AA2575BC0A964958260 ''Soldier of Fortune Magazine Held Liable for Killer's Ad''], New York Times, August 19, 1992</ref><br />
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=== Wrongful death ===<br />
In February 1985 John Wayne Hearn, a Vietnam veteran, shot and killed Sandra Black for a $10,000 payment from her husband, Robert Black. Black communicated with Hearn through a classified advertisement published in ''Soldier of Fortune'', wherein Hearn solicited "high-risk assignments. U.S. or overseas". In 1989, Sandra Black's son Gary and her mother Marjorie Eimann filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against ''SOF'' magazine and its parent publishing company Omega Group Ltd., seeking $21 million in redress of their grievance.<ref>Belkin, Lisa, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEEDF123FF937A25751C0A96E948260 ''Soldier of Fortune Magazine Is Sued Over Slaying''], New York Times, February 14, 1988</ref> <br />
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The jury found ''Soldier of Fortune'' grossly negligent in publishing Hearn's classified ad for implicit illegal activity (murder) and awarded the plaintiffs $9.5 million in damages. However, in 1990 the [[United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals]] reversed the verdict, saying that the standard of conduct imposed upon the magazine was too high, because the advertisement was ambiguously worded.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE3DC103CF93BA2575BC0A96F948260 ''Award in Case of Killer Hired by Ad Is Overturned''], Associated Press, August 18, 1989</ref><ref>[http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/wbardwel/public/nfalist/eimann_v_sof.txt Transcript of the Fifth Circuit's decision in ''Eimann v. SOF'']</ref><br />
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=== Contract killing ===<br />
In 1989, four men were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the 1985 contract killing of Richard Braun, of Atlanta, Georgia. The killers were hired through a classified services advertisement published in ''Soldier of Fortune'' magazine that read: "GUN FOR HIRE". Braun's sons filed a civil lawsuit against the magazine and a jury found in their favor, awarding them $12.37 million in damages, which the judge later reduced to $4.37 million. Nonetheless, in 1992 the [[United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals]] upheld the judgement of the jury, saying "the publisher could recognize the offer of criminal activity as readily as its readers, obviously, did".<ref name="smothers"/> The Brauns and ''SOF'' magazine settled the wrongful-death lawsuit for $200,000.<ref name="moscou">Moscou, Jim, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E5D9113FF935A25753C1A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&&scp=10&sq=Soldier%20of%20Fortune%20magazine&st=cse ''Soldier of Fortune Toughs Out Changing Times''], New York Times, October 16, 2000</ref> One consequence of the lost lawsuits was the magazine's suspension of publication of classified advertisements for mercenary work either in the U.S. or overseas.<ref name="moscou"/><br />
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==Notable contributors==<br />
* Col. [[David Hackworth|David "Hack" Hackworth]], US Army, (ret/deceased)<br />
* [[Wayne Laugesen]]<br />
* Ltc. [[Robert C. MacKenzie]], US Army, (ret/deceased)<br />
* Ltc. [[Oliver North]], US Marine Corps, (ret.)<br />
* [[Dale Dye]], US Marine Corps, (ret.)<br />
* [[Al J Venter]]<br />
* [[Michael Echanis]] (1950–1978), Vietnam veteran, [[Purple Heart]] recipient – martial arts editor<br />
* [[John Plaster]], US Army, (ret.)<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist|2}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
* [http://www.sofmag.com Soldier of Fortune magazine website]<br />
{{Portal|Military history}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Soldier of Fortune (Magazine)}}<br />
[[Category:1975 establishments in Colorado]]<br />
[[Category:American online magazines]]<br />
[[Category:American monthly magazines]]<br />
[[Category:Magazines established in 1975]]<br />
[[Category:Magazines published in Colorado]]<br />
[[Category:Mercenaries]]<br />
[[Category:Military magazines]]<br />
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 2016]]<br />
[[Category:Defunct magazines of the United States]]<br />
[[Category:Online periodicals with defunct print editions]]</div>117.247.155.75