Soldier of Fortune Founder Robert K. Brown Dies at 93

Robert K. Brown, the retired Army lieutenant colonel and former Green Beret who founded Soldier of Fortune magazine in 1975, died on August 28, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. He was 93.

His death was announced on his personal Facebook page on November 2, 2026 — the date that would have marked his 94th birthday.

Brown built Soldier of Fortune, The Journal of Professional Adventurers into a publication whose correspondents filed from conflicts other outlets wouldn't touch. His own record of backing freedom fighters, veterans and the Second Amendment ran alongside a business that lasted more than four decades under his ownership.

Who was Robert K. Brown?

Born November 2, 1932, in Monroe, Michigan, Brown graduated from the University of Colorado in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1957 and again from 1964 to 1985, including duty with Special Forces in Vietnam. His decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Air Medal.

Before launching the magazine, Brown co-founded Paladin Press in 1970 with Peder Lund. Five years later he started Soldier of Fortune in Boulder, Colorado. Correspondents reported from wars across Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Brown personally spent more than $300,000 searching for Americans held in captivity in Southeast Asia — a sum that underscores how far he pushed beyond the publisher's chair.

What did the magazine publish?

Brown printed work from some of the most respected names in military literature:

• Thomas Golz on Chechnya
• Jim Morris on Vietnam
• John Stryker Meyer on MACV-SOG
• David Isby on Afghanistan

He also used the magazine's masthead to honor correspondents killed on assignment, including Lance Motley and Robert MacKenzie.

The magazine's annual conventions became a fixture in Las Vegas and drew global attention — including from Soviet media. On September 22, 1999, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman proclaimed "Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown Day" to mark the magazine's 20th annual convention.

Who owns Soldier of Fortune now?

Brown sold the magazine in April 2022 to Susan Katz Keating, a journalist and longtime contributor. Keating continues to own and publish it. "He was a true Man Among Men," Keating said. "I will be forever grateful that he came into my life all those years ago. We're honored to carry on what he started. Rest in peace, Bob."

What was Brown's role at the NRA?

Brown sat on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors for more than three decades. He also served as a trustee of the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico, where he frequently traveled for retreats with friends — a tradition he kept up long after selling the publication. A shooting range at the Whittington Center now bears his name.

How are colleagues remembering him?

Jerry Kraus, Director of Special Projects for Soldier of Fortune and an NRA Board member, credited Brown with bankrolling courage, not just writing about it. "Bob Brown didn't just write about courage," Kraus said. "He lived it, he paid for it, and he funded it for others when nobody else would. Every veteran who ever picked up a copy of SOF owes him something."

Brown's daughter, Janice, shared memories of her father with the magazine and supplied family photographs, including the portrait used for his memorial image.

His death at 93 was met by family, friends and followers with sorrow and gratitude for having known him. With Keating at the helm, the brand Brown launched from Boulder in 1975 continues publishing — the clearest measure of how long his imprint on combat journalism will run.