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The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 130 · Sunday, 1 November 2026

Veterans

Spirit Halloween store to become pop-up ICE detention center

DHS praises seasonal retailer's expertise in occupying abandoned buildings and disappearing overnight

Army FRG unveils haunted house featuring spouses saying ‘I’m fine’

Hasan execution venue double-booked with Comic-Con

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Vol. 15 · No. 130

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Vol. 15 · No. 130 · Deployed worldwide

Sunday

1 November 2026

1453 Zulu

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Veterans · Page 2

Veteran who deployed once, never fired weapon, now expert on police use of force

Filed · 1536

THE INTERNET — Army veteran Ryan Smith, who deployed once to Iraq in 2011 and never fired his weapon in anger, has now transferred these experiences into critiquing police use of force within the United States on social media, sources confirm.

Smith, who served one 12-month tour as a trainer for the Iraqi Army, and received a Combat Action Badge as the result of an errant mortar round landing 300 meters from his hooch, has taken to social media to boldly criticize what he views as “a completely out of control police force, with no regard for escalation of force or rules of engagement.” according to his 15th Facebook status update on this subject over the last few months.

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