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Link to: Register Now: The 2023 War Horse Symposium

The 2023 War Horse Symposium

Join us on April 6 for The War Horse Symposium, featuring the Sec. of Veterans Affairs, the Dep. Secretary of Defense, Jon Stewart, and others.

Register Now
TANEIKA DUHANEY
Link to: Register Now: The 2023 War Horse Symposium
Link to: Register Now: The 2023 War Horse Symposium
Link to: Register Now: The 2023 War Horse Symposium

The 2023 War Horse Symposium

Join us on April 6 for The War Horse Symposium, featuring the Sec. of Veterans Affairs, the Dep. Secretary of Defense, Jon Stewart, and others.

Register Now
TANEIKA DUHANEY
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Retired Capt. John Malfitano, program manager of Onward to Opportunity, center, conducts an orientation session with a group of service members in 2016 at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The program was created to train and connect transitioning service members and their spouses with employers. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Dodge, courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

When America’s Economy Is in Turmoil, Veterans Can Step up to Lead the Charge

March 23, 2023|in Newsroom | Sonner Kehrt

From cybersecurity to trucking to health care, essential industries—still reeling from pandemic economic instability— benefit from veteran employees.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Onward-feature-high-res.jpg 476 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2023-03-23 09:38:532023-03-23 09:38:53When America’s Economy Is in Turmoil, Veterans Can Step up to Lead the Charge

The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?

March 22, 2023|in Reflections | Kayla Williams

Twenty years after America invaded Iraq, a veteran and spouse imagines the war’s costs will only grow.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Brian-and-Kayla-900x710-1.jpg 710 900 Kayla Williams https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kayla Williams2023-03-22 09:12:032023-03-22 09:12:03The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?

This Is What We Do in America. We Pause. We Forget. Then We Begin the Next War.

March 15, 2023|in Reflections | M. Tabar

The divorces, wars, and military bases blurred together. In Afghanistan and Iraq, I wasn’t surprised to see suicide watch posters everywhere.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/working-900x530-1.jpg 530 900 M. Tabar https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png M. Tabar2023-03-15 08:53:262023-03-15 08:53:26This Is What We Do in America. We Pause. We Forget. Then We Begin the Next War.

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The War Doesn’t End. But as Long as He Keeps Fighting, I’ll Fight for Him, Too.

February 21, 2023

I Was a Shitbag. Now, I Help Carry Others Through Their Darkness.

February 14, 2023

The Country We Loved Didn’t Love Us Back. Maybe This Time Would Be Different.

February 9, 2023

Citizen or Soldier? A Blurry Balancing Act Has National Guard Reeling for Resilience.

February 8, 2023

‘I Don’t Want You in My Navy’– Forging My Own Path to Those Silver Eagles

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FROM OUR FELLOWS

Marines’ Wives Are All the Same, She Thought. And Then She Met Liesel

July 17, 2017|in Reflections | Joy Craig

Joy Craig writes in an open letter about the chasm between Marines’ wives and female Marines, and about a budding friendship that has softened her distrust.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

Every Friday, the father of a Marine who died by suicide visits his son’s gravesite, adding new flowers or decorations for the holidays. Photo courtesy of the author.

I Lost One of My Marines to Suicide. Maybe Being Honest About My Blind Spots Will Help.

September 14, 2022|in Reflections | Lauren Serrano

I always tried to do right by my Marines. But it wasn’t enough. What could I have done better? Will I ever stop asking that question?

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/father-feature-web.jpg 461 900 Lauren Serrano https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Lauren Serrano2022-09-14 07:56:222022-09-14 09:07:27I Lost One of My Marines to Suicide. Maybe Being Honest About My Blind Spots Will Help.
An Iraqi man out on patrol with U.S. soldiers takes a break beneath a bridge. Photo by Nathan S. Webster.

A Journalist’s Favorite Image Mirrors a  Loss

September 23, 2020|in Reflections | Nathan Webster

A journalist learns of death that paralleled the moment he took his favorite picture.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Break-Beneath-a-Bridge-web.jpg 734 979 Nathan Webster https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nathan Webster2020-09-23 09:26:102021-04-27 23:56:22A Journalist’s Favorite Image Mirrors a  Loss

Twelve Marines, Dress Blues, and Triple C’s

June 14, 2018|in Reflections | Scott Reel

Scott Reel learned quickly that he could resist the Corps’ structure and suffer, or he could play the part of the good Marine, do his time, and then leave. 

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/DINFOSPhoto.jpg 1360 2048 Scott Reel https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Scott Reel2018-06-14 11:54:432021-11-19 21:14:51Twelve Marines, Dress Blues, and Triple C’s

EXPLORE TOPICS

GENDER
Emily Miller celebrates National Coming Out Day at Harvard Business School with the school’s LGBT student association.

Gay Veteran Sees Racism as a Tougher Fight

June 24, 2020|in Reflections | Emily Miller

All movements must include the fight against racism—and that looks different from other protests.

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HEALTHCARE

No Really, How Are You Doing? Asking Important Questions About Military Suicide

January 15, 2020|in Reflections | Janell Hanf

A Marine Corps officer’s story of pain, stress, and a call to action to start honest conversations about mental health

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HUMAN RIGHTS
Children from a nearby village pose for a photograph in Zharay district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, in 2012. Photo by Spc. Jason Nolte, courtesy of U.S. Army.

“I Screamed Into My Radio to Ignore the Order”—Pardoned Soldier’s Comrade Still Lives With Guilt of Murdered Civilians

November 18, 2020|in Reflections | Mike McGuinness

When Clint Lorance ordered his men to kill innocent civilians in Afghanistan, the soldiers came home and struggled to assuage their feelings of guilt.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Children-from-nearby-village-pose-for-photo-in-Zharay-district-Kandahar-Afghanistan.jpg 1400 2100 Mike McGuinness https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Mike McGuinness2020-11-18 09:42:522021-04-27 22:57:31“I Screamed Into My Radio to Ignore the Order”—Pardoned Soldier’s Comrade Still Lives With Guilt of Murdered Civilians
INVESTIGATIONS
U.S. service members were intentionally exposed to toxic agents, such as nitrogen mustard, during World War II. Photo courtesy of the Naval Research Laboratory.

Exposed: Burn Pits May Force the Military to Acknowledge Generations of Poisoned Veterans

August 12, 2021|in Investigations, Newsroom | Sonner Kehrt

Since World War II, the military has poisoned countless service members through toxic exposures and secret testing.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/tests-web.png 638 1958 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2021-08-12 09:24:462021-11-19 03:00:58Exposed: Burn Pits May Force the Military to Acknowledge Generations of Poisoned Veterans
MILITARY FAMILIES

Sharky’s and “The Golden Boy”—Military Justice Abandons the Vulnerable to Protect the Powerful

April 28, 2022|in Newsroom | Thomas J. Brennan

The Marine Corps has hidden the track records of attorneys whose misconduct and disregard for the rule of law has jeopardized the welfare of Marines.

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SCIENCE & TECH
Master Sgt. Darryl Sterling, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron equipment manager, throws trash into a burn pit at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, in 2008. Photo by Senior Airman Julianne Showalter, courtesy U.S. Air Force.

“It’s so inaccurate”—How the VA Is Failing to Track Veterans Burn Pit Claims

August 7, 2020|in Newsroom | Kelly Kennedy

VA figures show an astonishingly low rate of approval of burn pit claims: Of the 10,588 claims, 2,360 veterans had their benefits granted and 8,228 were denied.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Burnpits-more-throwing-600.jpg 600 903 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2020-08-07 09:51:092023-02-09 09:56:58“It’s so inaccurate”—How the VA Is Failing to Track Veterans Burn Pit Claims
POLICY

“Unwavering, Staggering” Military Spouse Unemployment Could Change After Pandemic

January 20, 2022|in Newsroom | Julie Zack

For military spouses, employers’ acknowledgment that workers can be just as productive from home could put an end to giving up careers for the military.

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TRENDING

Relics Of War And The Stories They Share

August 6, 2016
Brandon Lingle explores war through relics, battlefields and monuments. He shares violence of the past by finding - and understanding - war artifacts.
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Removing My Armor

June 12, 2019
How a former Army videographer learned to cope with trauma and rebuild her life.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sara_Kiowa-1.jpg 396 604 Sara Poquette https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sara Poquette2019-06-12 09:00:522020-12-16 13:13:27Removing My Armor
investigations

The Impact of Our Reporting About Marines United

March 4, 2017
The War Horse and Reveal broke the Marines United nude photo scandal March 4, 2017. The U.S. Marines Corps and Navy leadership and Congressional politicians responded quickly to the scandal in the weeks following publication.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/investigations.jpg 600 1000 Anna Hiatt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anna Hiatt2017-03-04 19:15:282021-11-20 01:08:16The Impact of Our Reporting About Marines United
John Primerano was a proud Airborne veteran who never neglected an opportunity to share a tale of his wartime exploits, according to the author. His stories always included the men he served alongside and the sacrifices they made. Photo courtesy of Easy506th.org.

We Didn’t Just Fold a Flag. We Delivered the Gratitude of a Nation to Our Hero. 

July 13, 2022
The sun rose as we pinned the last of our decorations on our best uniforms and checked the shine on our boots. John was always a stickler for shiny boots.
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Soldier bounds down a 40 ft tower during a training exercise at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wa. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Kohrs.

Moral Waivers for War—”I Was Shocked, but We Needed Men.”

March 4, 2020
Not everyone is fit for the Army, but a loophole overlooks that. 
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Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Sam Castro; his wife, Liz; and their two sons, Enrique and Vicente. Photo by Trish Alegre-Smith, courtesy of SoYourLife Photography.

“Don’t Go Here. They’ll Kill You.”—LGBTQ Troops, Families Face Mounting Discrimination With New Laws

June 9, 2022
“Service members should not have to choose between serving their country and protecting and serving their family.”
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“I Was Still Pretending”—a Road Trip and Worry for a Little Boy

May 8, 2019
Searching for closure, a former Army Infantry officer travels to the gravesite of his platoon sergeant.
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From Death Threats to a French Dandy, Afghan Contractors Abandoned by the U.S. Struggle to Find Asylum Abroad

June 17, 2021
The Taliban wants him dead. Because he worked for the Americans. But he didn’t ask for help from the people he saved by throwing away everything he had.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/tourniquet-900.jpg 496 900 Jennifer Orth-Veillon https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jennifer Orth-Veillon2021-06-17 08:45:552021-11-19 16:33:03From Death Threats to a French Dandy, Afghan Contractors Abandoned by the U.S. Struggle to Find Asylum Abroad

The Army She Knew Wasn’t Orderly or Disciplined. It Was Filled With Messy Humanity

July 7, 2017
Nina Semczuk oversaw 25 soldiers and all the human mess that goes along with that. But would a civilian executive see the value in her experience?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/download-3-22.jpeg 720 1280 Nina Semczuk https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nina Semczuk2017-07-07 18:59:422020-11-24 00:04:05The Army She Knew Wasn’t Orderly or Disciplined. It Was Filled With Messy Humanity

The Afghan Girls I Couldn’t Save

July 24, 2016
Rape and police beatings occurred in Afghan prisons. Tim Patterson recounts police violence in Afghanistan—and the memories that continue to haunt him.
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The Day I Held My Fire

October 19, 2016
Eric Chandler vividly remembers dropping bombs and spraying bullets on the brown mountains of Afghanistan. The time he didn't shoot haunts him the most.
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“Stay in Place”—a D.C. Guardsman Reflects on Military Orders to “Do Nothing” During the Siege on the U.S. Capitol

January 27, 2021
During the Jan. 6 terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol, D.C. Guardsmen were missing in action, ordered to “stay in place” and “do nothing.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/6493443-web-2100x1066-1.jpg 1066 2100 T.L.K https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png T.L.K2021-01-27 09:39:362021-04-27 21:35:27“Stay in Place”—a D.C. Guardsman Reflects on Military Orders to “Do Nothing” During the Siege on the U.S. Capitol

“They Weren’t Supposed to Die”—Losing a Soldier to Mishap at the Army National Training Center

March 14, 2018
Nina Semczuk arrived at the National Training Center in California prepared to train; she wasn’t prepared for a fellow soldier to die.
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After coming out, the author trained for and ran the 2015 40th Marine Corps Marathon to celebrate her 60th birthday. Photo by Annie Sutherland, courtesy of the author.

After the “Witch Hunt” of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a Decade of Pride

June 23, 2021
Every time my small inner voice gave me a nudge to the rainbow side of life, my socialized side said, “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re happily married.”
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Lt. Gen Robert Cone (right), III Corps commanding general, and the corps’ senior noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur L. Coleman Jr., receive a briefing from Fort Hood law enforcement officers, including Eric Tangeman (center), outside the shooting site at Fort Hood. Thirteen people died and 30 more were wounded in the 2009 incident.

“My Streaming Service”—Soldier Relives Traumas Like Reruns on Journey to Heal

September 29, 2021
“Although the shows have been canceled, many of us don’t have the ability to press stop—to stop watching and find something new.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Hood-web.jpg 1224 1840 Eric Tangeman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Eric Tangeman2021-09-29 09:45:502021-11-18 22:05:17“My Streaming Service”—Soldier Relives Traumas Like Reruns on Journey to Heal

Years Later, Loss at War Resonates at Home

June 11, 2016
Our global community is and continues to be ever more affected by war. Responsible and constructive conversation is more important than ever.
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Military experts constantly warn service members about social media scams that can affect them and their families. Graphic by Regina Ali, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Preying on Patriots—Scams More Likely to Target Troops, Vets

August 18, 2022
A steady income and benefits, a desire to help, frequent moves and deployments, and more make military members and families particular targets of scammers.
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My Religion Of Death And Praying To Kill

July 5, 2016
Pete Lucier joined the Marine Corps to be confident, righteous and to kill. Read on about his reality of killing, loss of faith and memories of war.
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Second Suicide Battalion: Where Military Justice Weaponizes Mental Health

April 15, 2022
Rampant disregard for the rights of the accused is not just commonplace, it is deeply entrenched in the military justice system.
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There Is Love Enough In This World For Everybody, If People Will Just Look.

September 11, 2016
Human conflict is as old as humanity, so why have these last 15 years felt so particularly dark and divided? Katie Hansen reflects on growing up and beginning a family in a post-9/11 world.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Hansen9.jpg 639 960 Katie Hensen https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Katie Hensen2016-09-11 19:44:402021-06-07 19:23:34There Is Love Enough In This World For Everybody, If People Will Just Look.

Can I Be Like the Hummingbirds, With the Strength to Fight Another Day?

August 31, 2022
My backyard is where I come to clear my head. It’s the place I come to reconcile memories before they become thoughts that feel painfully real.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Patrol-feature-web.jpg 524 900 Eric Roberson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Eric Roberson2022-08-31 09:17:572022-08-31 09:17:57Can I Be Like the Hummingbirds, With the Strength to Fight Another Day?

Learning How to Talk About War Helped Their Family Heal

August 16, 2017
You can't hide anything from your children, John Sims learned. When their family began talking openly about his three decades of service, the healing began.
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Explosives, a Couple of Flamethrowers, and No Ordinary Men Against a Forbidding Jungle

September 21, 2022
The ships with our 437 helicopters would reach Qui Nhon harbor in about four weeks. They needed a place to land.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Helicopters-2-feature-web.jpg 982 1800 Marvin J. Wolf https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Marvin J. Wolf2022-09-21 09:20:472022-09-21 09:20:47Explosives, a Couple of Flamethrowers, and No Ordinary Men Against a Forbidding Jungle

Pop Bangers, “Barbie Girl,” and IED Explosions

November 14, 2018
Augusto Giacoman danced to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” as his convoy patrolled Mosul, Iraq. And then the IED exploded.
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Afghan Peace Process Puts Life in Limbo for Generations of U.S. Allies, Former U.S. Interpreters

December 23, 2020
“My scarred body represents just a small sacrifice for our country, a country we have built without the Taliban,” said the father of a U.S. interpreter.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/tea-with-afghan-interpreters-900.jpg 496 900 Dane Sawyer https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dane Sawyer2020-12-23 09:07:452021-04-27 22:16:06Afghan Peace Process Puts Life in Limbo for Generations of U.S. Allies, Former U.S. Interpreters

Sailing the Atlantic Ocean – 2005

April 19, 2017
Tenley Lozano watched the Barque Eagle's bow cut through the Atlantic Ocean's night waters, which swelled with bioluminescence and dolphins.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/horst_wessel.jpg 736 1136 Tenley Lozano https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tenley Lozano2017-04-19 18:11:372020-12-16 13:14:38Sailing the Atlantic Ocean – 2005
New York City’s lower Manhattan skyline and the newly completed One World Trade Center Building are illuminated by two beams of light representing the remembrance of the American citizens lost Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by David Tucker, courtesy of U.S. Air Force.

Reflecting on the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks

September 8, 2021
“Good things happened after the bad,” writes Eric Chandler. But 20 years on, there is a painful contrast to the national unity that followed the attacks.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/memorial-web.jpg 584 900 Eric Chandler https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Eric Chandler2021-09-08 09:43:292021-09-08 11:39:40Reflecting on the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks

Remembering the Day I Parked Our Stryker on Top of an IED

April 25, 2018
Augusto Giacoman parked his Stryker under the streetlights and then the bomb exploded. What happened next is a hazy mixture of memory and nightmare.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Recall-and-Regress-the-war-horse-header.jpg 1050 1600 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2018-04-25 15:45:092020-12-16 13:13:09Remembering the Day I Parked Our Stryker on Top of an IED
During the Battle of Husaybah, on April 17, 2004, Staff Sgt. Adam Walker took an AK-47 round through his right hamstring and caught a dime-sized piece of shrapnel from a hand grenade in his left arm. Photo courtesy of the author.

Their Fight Was Over. Why Did I Make It Home and They Did Not?

June 29, 2022
Certain days on the calendar, such as April 17, bring clear memories. But these thoughts don’t possess me like they once did. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Walker-wounded-crop.jpg 615 900 Adam Walker https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Adam Walker2022-06-29 08:21:442022-06-29 08:21:44Their Fight Was Over. Why Did I Make It Home and They Did Not?
Mohammed Nazir, far left, and Will Martin, far right, attend a post-deployment function with other members of the 49th Military Police Brigade in Fairfield, California, in 2010, shortly after a yearlong tour in Iraq. Photo courtesy of the author.

As Much Soldier as Muslim, More Patriot Than Believer

January 26, 2022
I can’t grasp how anyone can eat, sleep, and fight alongside the stunning diversity of the U.S. military and emerge more entrenched in their echo chambers.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Martin-group-web.jpg 480 720 Will Martin https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Will Martin2022-01-26 09:02:212022-01-26 09:02:21As Much Soldier as Muslim, More Patriot Than Believer

The Frog’s Revenge Came in the Form of Iraqi Rockets

January 31, 2018
Augusto Giacoman’s humanity was reduced to instinct as the rockets began to hit, and he understood how the frog he’d encountered as a child must have felt.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CPTGiacomanbeforearaidinSadrCity.jpg 1125 1500 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2018-01-31 19:12:102020-11-23 23:29:43The Frog’s Revenge Came in the Form of Iraqi Rockets

“It Would Be a Mistake to Underestimate Russia”: The New Cold War That’s Emerging in the Arctic

November 19, 2020
As Arctic ice shrinks, and climate change makes routes easier to traverse, a military struggle for control looms. Russia is already trying to claim it.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/green-berets-in-arctic-warfare-training-on-glacier-in-Seward-Alaska.jpg 763 1280 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2020-11-19 09:30:242021-04-27 22:53:27“It Would Be a Mistake to Underestimate Russia”: The New Cold War That’s Emerging in the Arctic
A Marine assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit calms down an infant at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, on Aug. 28. Photo by Cpl. Davis Harris, courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps.

“The War Is Over. Cheers.”–Where Do Veterans Land When the Fighting Is Done?

March 16, 2022
War was a distant part of our lives and we just moved on with the day. What did it mean to me that the war was ending in chaos?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/baby-1900x1036-web.jpg 1035 1900 Steve Wahle https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Steve Wahle2022-03-16 09:41:522022-03-16 09:41:52“The War Is Over. Cheers.”–Where Do Veterans Land When the Fighting Is Done?

Operation Straggler: Their War May Have Ended, but They Weren’t Prepared for Surrender

February 16, 2022
We were going to drive them out of their hiding places, round them up, and ship them back to their families. At least that was the plan.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/group-in-front-of-quonset-hut-web-1.jpg 812 1337 Robert L. Foster https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Robert L. Foster2022-02-16 08:05:162022-02-16 08:05:16Operation Straggler: Their War May Have Ended, but They Weren’t Prepared for Surrender
A Marine Corps weapons company section sets up their mortar to take communist positions under fire near Chosin Reservoir. Photo by Katie Lange, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

“War Never Changes”—a Marine, a “Hardcore Warrior,” and a Connection Across Generations in Uniform

November 11, 2020
A World War II soldier and a Marine walk into a bar. Over drinks, the two veterans discuss how to truly return home after war: Never stop serving others.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/marine-corps-sets-up-mortar-near-Chosin-Reservoir.jpg 1597 2100 Andrew van Wey https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrew van Wey2020-11-11 09:30:382021-04-27 23:01:49“War Never Changes”—a Marine, a “Hardcore Warrior,” and a Connection Across Generations in Uniform
An Airman assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron sets parking chalks on an MQ-9 Reaper on the flightline of Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, June 10. Photo by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum, courtesy of U.S. Air Force.

The Surge Nobody’s Talking About: The U.S. War in Somalia

June 25, 2020
America has engaged in military operations against terrorists in East Africa for years, but a lack of transparency about civilian casualties is causing concern.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Reaper-airman-web.jpg 574 1000 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2020-06-25 15:30:332020-11-23 16:22:07The Surge Nobody’s Talking About: The U.S. War in Somalia

The Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell “Changed Everything”

September 27, 2017
Dan Misch spent nights on the Naval Academy bleachers crying and struggling to decide if he should leave or continue serving under Don't Ask Don't Tell.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1923373_510304064521_8951_n.jpg 401 604 Dan Misch https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dan Misch2017-09-27 19:37:082020-11-23 23:38:08The Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell “Changed Everything”
Members of the New Jersey National Guard’s A Troop and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 102nd Cavalry Division, converse with U.S. Capitol Police before performing a roving patrol at the U.S. Capitol, where just hours later a vehicle rammed a police barricade and a suspect killed one USCP officer and sent another to the hospital. The troops pulled patrol at the Capitol after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Hughes, courtesy of the U.S. Army.

He Liked the Pro-America, Pro-Constitution Vibe. But He Liked the Rage, Too.

June 23, 2022
The KKK is shifting toward a more militia-style environment, targeting veterans for recruitment, valuing their skills and preying on their patriotism.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Capitol-2-web.jpg 601 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-06-23 08:58:242022-07-07 08:45:52He Liked the Pro-America, Pro-Constitution Vibe. But He Liked the Rage, Too.

“Beaten Joints”—A Marine Officer Finds Herself On A Cross-Country Run

July 11, 2018
Maggie Seymour set out on a cross-country run to reconnect with herself and find the ground under her feet. Along the way she found a sense of home.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/finding-herself-.jpg 610 1200 Maggie Seymour https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Maggie Seymour2018-07-11 15:44:372020-12-04 14:52:41“Beaten Joints”—A Marine Officer Finds Herself On A Cross-Country Run
Navy LT Stephen Thompson, the author’s son, in Afghanistan, 2013. Photo courtesy Sarah Colby

When It’s Hard to Be a Military Mom

April 22, 2020
It was one thing to be a military spouse during peacetime. It was quite another to have a spouse and eventually a child serve during a war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LT-Thompson-Afghanistan-2013-Credit-Unknown.jpg 638 960 Sarah Colby https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sarah Colby2020-04-22 09:42:482021-11-19 18:06:54When It’s Hard to Be a Military Mom

Letters From War and Drawing “The Line Between Respect and Caution”

October 16, 2019
A former Army soldier grapples with an unresolved confessional to her late mother.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pino_letters_02.jpg 4000 6000 Yvette Pino https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Yvette Pino2019-10-16 12:23:412020-12-16 12:59:38Letters From War and Drawing “The Line Between Respect and Caution”

“You Sound Like a Pervert”—Getting Lucky With Meatybob

September 2, 2020
The student grabbed the joystick bolted between her legs and took control of the training helicopter. “Some pilots are naturals,” the instructor said. “You aren’t.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Flying-feature.jpg 1322 2000 Anne Boaden https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anne Boaden2020-09-02 09:30:432021-04-28 00:09:10“You Sound Like a Pervert”—Getting Lucky With Meatybob

Running for My Life After Returning From War

February 12, 2020
How a high-functioning facade masked a critical bout of depression for a former Army sergeant. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/winds-at-shrine.jpg 738 1101 Kayla Williams https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kayla Williams2020-02-12 10:05:142020-12-16 13:14:22Running for My Life After Returning From War
coronavirus

The Circus Is Coming to Town

March 25, 2020
As the United States grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, a former corpsman trained in infectious disease epidemiology understands what’s at stake.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/AdobeStock_306423053.jpg 1309 2450 Johnnie Gilpen https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Johnnie Gilpen2020-03-25 09:48:262021-11-19 18:16:28The Circus Is Coming to Town

Balancing Authority and Understanding as a Young Lieutenant

September 6, 2017
Nina Semczuk struggled to walk the line between being "that guy" and a pushover when she became a new officer. One private's lunch paid the price.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/333070_2296013450748_1960900_o.jpg 563 1000 Nina Semczuk https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nina Semczuk2017-09-06 16:48:432020-12-04 17:50:17Balancing Authority and Understanding as a Young Lieutenant

Marines United: New Symptom. Old Problem.

July 14, 2017
Sexual assault and harassment in the military are nothing new, but the advent of the internet has kicked the enduring impact on victims up a notch.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DanRather.png 755 1440 Andrea Januta https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea Januta2017-07-14 20:51:232021-09-09 21:49:06Marines United: New Symptom. Old Problem.
An all-Afghan crew prepares to launch on a medevac mission in Helmand province in 2019. Photo courtesy of the author.

For an “Afghan Hand,” Explosions and Crashes Echo Loss and “a Romanticized Idea of Adventure”

May 12, 2021
“His story is so much the story of Afghanistan: youth destroyed violently while fighting for a better home,” writes reserve Naval Officer Jack McCain.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/afghan-crew-web.jpg 600 800 Jack McCain https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jack McCain2021-05-12 09:23:442021-11-19 17:09:12For an “Afghan Hand,” Explosions and Crashes Echo Loss and “a Romanticized Idea of Adventure”

A Veteran’s Odyssey After Hanging up the Uniform in an America He Doesn’t Recognize

October 13, 2021
“The story of Odysseus is the story of the day after—what happens when the battle is done? … My service wasn’t an accomplishment. It was a liability.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Sandstorm-Iraq-2008-feature.jpg 738 1424 John Thampi https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png John Thampi2021-10-13 08:43:432021-11-18 21:59:40A Veteran’s Odyssey After Hanging up the Uniform in an America He Doesn’t Recognize

From One Battle to Another. “A New Fight I Never Expected.”

November 13, 2019
A gunnery sergeant grapples with his love of deployments during a time when his family needs him at home.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/sabins-feature.jpg 550 900 Jeffrey Sabins https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jeffrey Sabins2019-11-13 09:33:472021-11-19 20:53:06From One Battle to Another. “A New Fight I Never Expected.”

Review: “Fight Like a Girl” By Kate Germano With Kelly Kennedy

September 5, 2018
Teresa Fazio reviews Kate Germano’s new memoir, in which the retired lieutenant colonel makes the case for the reforms she made at Parris Island.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/4th-Battalion-relief-and-appointment-ceremony.jpg 619 1300 Teresa Fazio https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Teresa Fazio2018-09-05 13:32:562020-12-16 13:13:46Review: “Fight Like a Girl” By Kate Germano With Kelly Kennedy

How The Marines United Investigation and Scandal Unfolded

July 11, 2017
Our story begins one day late in January 2017 when a Google Drive containing photographs of service women in various stages of undress was posted in the Facebook group Marines United.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ScreenShot2017-07-11at1.01.14PM-e1524853395935.png 421 891 Andrea Januta https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea Januta2017-07-11 19:16:422021-09-09 21:50:13How The Marines United Investigation and Scandal Unfolded
Unit Christmas party in San Angelo, Texas, in 2007. From left to right: Marty, Sadia Heil, Erinne, Sheena, and Kate. Photo courtesy of the author.

Firefly Friends Guided Me out of the Darkness of Formidable Loss 

August 17, 2022
Reuniting with my friends felt like taking a deep breath of fresh air: exhilarating and good for my soul. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Christmas.jpg 1333 2048 Sadia Ali Heil https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sadia Ali Heil2022-08-17 09:07:442022-08-17 09:07:44Firefly Friends Guided Me out of the Darkness of Formidable Loss 

She Swallowed Hard, Shed Some Tears

September 11, 2016
Anna Hiatt remembers, but not how she once hoped she would. For her the anniversary of 9/11 brings memories of her grandfather, Fight Club, anthrax and when she noticed Washington D.C. — a once open city — shrink.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/towers.jpg 680 1300 Anna Hiatt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anna Hiatt2016-09-11 19:14:262021-06-07 19:08:37She Swallowed Hard, Shed Some Tears
writing-seminars - war-horse-seminar-4-1400x934.jpg

The Redemptive Power Of Lying

July 25, 2016
David Chrisinger teaches a writing course for veterans at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His students tell him their stories—some are true, some are lies, and some are worse.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/writing-seminars/war-horse-seminar-4-1400x934.jpg 934 1400 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2016-07-25 19:34:412021-06-07 18:13:56The Redemptive Power Of Lying

Taking Unresponsive Leadership To Task as a Black Woman Army Officer

July 28, 2021
During her military career, she felt alone. As a Black woman. An officer. As a survivor of sexual assaults. Alone to battle mental illness.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Salute-web.jpg 626 960 Michelle Gradnigo https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michelle Gradnigo2021-07-28 08:23:402021-11-19 03:15:48Taking Unresponsive Leadership To Task as a Black Woman Army Officer

Bills Seek Reforms, Harsher Punishments in Wake of Marines United Scandal

June 16, 2017
This piece originally appeared on Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gillibrand-903x675.jpg 675 903 Anna Hiatt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anna Hiatt2017-06-16 17:53:232020-12-04 17:53:06Bills Seek Reforms, Harsher Punishments in Wake of Marines United Scandal

A Marine Loses Trust in the Military Branch He’d Pledged to Serve

March 28, 2018
Waiting in the lobby of the mental health unit, Francisco Martínezcuello wonders when, in his then-17-year career, he stopped trusting the Navy.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Afghanistan2.jpg 667 1000 Francisco Martínezcuello https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Francisco Martínezcuello2018-03-28 20:33:442020-11-23 23:19:21A Marine Loses Trust in the Military Branch He’d Pledged to Serve

Spilt Milk, Giggling Girls, and No Use Crying

May 9, 2018
Jackie Munn spilled hot chai on her lap and the girls giggled. They danced, smiled, asked why she had blue eyes. Then came the whip.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/No-Use-Crying-Hero.jpg 800 1280 Jackie Munn https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jackie Munn2018-05-09 17:28:362020-12-16 13:34:15Spilt Milk, Giggling Girls, and No Use Crying

A Man of Destiny, Molded by Fate: Lloyd Austin Leads in Time of Tremendous Potential

December 8, 2021
His actions seem to say he has the morale of the troops as his primary consideration. Far too many in those positions haven’t.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/OH4CUJEBYNBTPJ6KS7767WHPN4-1.jpg 487 1015 Gerald Collins https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Gerald Collins2021-12-08 09:47:412021-12-08 09:50:22A Man of Destiny, Molded by Fate: Lloyd Austin Leads in Time of Tremendous Potential

A Lesser-Known Group At Risk of Suicide—Children of Servicemembers

April 15, 2020
Military kids can suffer from emotional stressors that left unaddressed can increase their risk of taking their own lives.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/high-school-banner-2100x751-1.jpg 751 2100 Dan Rabb https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dan Rabb2020-04-15 09:47:402021-11-19 18:11:01A Lesser-Known Group At Risk of Suicide—Children of Servicemembers

Playing on the Edges of Empire: Special Operations Forces Face Uncertain Future

November 4, 2021
SOF exists to fight in uncertainty, but with the war in Afghanistan officially over, it’s about to enter a world of competitors and state actors looking for an adjusted world order.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/divers-crop-web.jpg 511 900 Kevin Maurer https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kevin Maurer2021-11-04 09:15:532021-11-18 21:32:31Playing on the Edges of Empire: Special Operations Forces Face Uncertain Future

My Heart, a Fallow Field. A Letter to My Unborn Daughter.

March 28, 2018
War poisoned his body and threatened his life. To survive, Drew Pham had to lose all chance of fathering a child.
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Soldiers, including the author (far right back row), from the 17th Signal Battalion pose in MOPP gear during the ground war.

Chemicals. Chemicals. And More Chemicals. A Veteran Reflects on Her Time in Desert Storm

February 24, 2021
For decades, the U.S. has poisoned service members with toxic chemicals. Lotions. Pills. Testing. Burn pits. And then there’s the enemy’s chemical weapons.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Mopp-suits-web.jpg 1184 1800 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2021-02-24 08:18:522021-04-27 21:09:21Chemicals. Chemicals. And More Chemicals. A Veteran Reflects on Her Time in Desert Storm

Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 3

September 13, 2018
Drew Pham writes about his experiences going to war as a migrant after September 11th in this four part series for The War House. This is 3 of 4.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ACH-47ChinookoftheTenthMountainDivision_sCombatAviationBrigade.jpg 1419 1391 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2018-09-13 13:24:152020-12-16 12:59:57Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 3

The Coast Guard, a Rubber Dinghy, and Plucking “Fleeing Souls”

July 18, 2018
Sarah Holzhalb wonders if the migrants she and her Coast Guard boat scooped out of the water are alive today, and what lives they returned to.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/his-eyes-lifted.jpg 650 1280 Sarah Holzhalb https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sarah Holzhalb2018-07-18 15:48:172020-11-23 22:38:56The Coast Guard, a Rubber Dinghy, and Plucking “Fleeing Souls”
Lisa Torem’s father played in the U.S. Army band. Photo courtesy of the author.

After Dad Died, I Cleaned Out the Garage. That’s When I Saw the Rusty Metal Box.

December 1, 2021
Inside the box, I found a folded-up, yellowed newspaper with a headline in bold print that read, “The War is Over!” and a set of dog tags.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Army-band-web.jpg 1076 2100 Lisa Torem https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Lisa Torem2021-12-01 09:15:492021-12-01 09:16:35After Dad Died, I Cleaned Out the Garage. That’s When I Saw the Rusty Metal Box.
U.S. Army Pfc. Alexis York, left, and Spc. Zekia Heath, both cannon crew members with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion 107th Field Artillery Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard, stand watch near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, March 3, after the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class R.J. Lannom Jr., courtesy of U.S. Army.

“Our Backgrounds Are Not Monolithic”—a Look Inside the Military’s Conversation About Extremism in Uniform

April 7, 2021
“There are a lot of Three Percenters on base, one soldier said.” Another asked “why we weren't talking about Black Lives Matter or Antifa” in uniform?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Capitol-web.jpg 1400 2100 Drew F. Lawrence https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew F. Lawrence2021-04-07 09:06:452021-04-27 19:30:35“Our Backgrounds Are Not Monolithic”—a Look Inside the Military’s Conversation About Extremism in Uniform
Soldiers, sailors, airmen, a Coast Guardsman, and an Army veteran raise their right hands as they recite the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony aboard USS Constitution in June. “The United States is and will forever be a nation of immigrants,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said during the ceremony. “Your stories—and the cultures, customs, and traditions you bring to America—exemplify that we have more to unite us than to divide us.” Photo by Mass Communication Spec. 1st Class Raymond D. Diaz III, courtesy of U.S. Navy.

“I Never Left Anybody”—Fighting for Veterans Left Behind by the Country They Served

September 23, 2021
Veterans mustered resources to swiftly bring home stranded Afghan allies and are working together to do the same for deported U.S. veterans.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Ceremony-web.jpg 601 900 Jennifer Orth-Veillon https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jennifer Orth-Veillon2021-09-23 10:04:432021-11-18 22:08:02“I Never Left Anybody”—Fighting for Veterans Left Behind by the Country They Served
Soldiers at Camp Funston, Kansas, are quarantined while recovering from the Spanish flu in 1918. The flu infected about 500 million people around the world. Photo courtesy National Archives.

Past Pandemics Devastated the U.S. Military, Teaching Lethal Lessons

August 27, 2021
It was an opportunistic disease. It chose no side in the conflict. The military had a public health emergency on its hands with few tools to fight it.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/hospital.jpg 772 1024 David Goldstein https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Goldstein2021-08-27 09:04:182021-11-19 02:37:38Past Pandemics Devastated the U.S. Military, Teaching Lethal Lessons
Barnhill said that sometimes military families look like pinups, but more often than not there is more to the story. She believes the entire family serves, not just the service member. Photo courtesy of Jean Jacobs.

A Military Spouse’s Journey From Annoyance to Advocacy

May 6, 2020
A military spouse seeks to change an antiquated narrative.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/barnhill-husband-2100x800-1.jpg 800 2100 Jennifer Barnhill https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jennifer Barnhill2020-05-06 09:40:592020-12-04 14:49:56A Military Spouse’s Journey From Annoyance to Advocacy

War Memorials, a Honeymoon, and the Conflict of Life

November 21, 2018
Liz O’Herrin Lee finds peace in an unknown future in the presence of Australia’s living memorial built by and for the country’s World War I veterans.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/13-–-Cover-Lee.jpg 933 1400 Liz O'Herrin Lee https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liz O'Herrin Lee2018-11-21 13:28:162020-11-23 21:23:06War Memorials, a Honeymoon, and the Conflict of Life

A Centuries-Long Battle to the Ambiguity of War

October 31, 2016
Read how George Heath examines the questions surrounding the definition of a crime during wartime, which are largely unsettled. In modern warfare combatants dress as civilians and war is waged more covertly than ever.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/download.jpg 984 1500 Natalie Schachar https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Natalie Schachar2016-10-31 14:27:002021-06-07 20:57:01A Centuries-Long Battle to the Ambiguity of War
Jen Burch with a boy who had lost his leg after being hit with an improvised explosive device and the boy’s father at a military hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of the author.

The Sorrow and Defeat of Watching the Taliban Reclaim Afghanistan

August 18, 2021
While deployed, she thought she’d seen the worst of war. Now, as the Taliban reclaims Afghanistan, she worries about the children living under their rule.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_1929-blurred-feature.jpg 528 1015 Jen Burch https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jen Burch2021-08-18 09:35:102021-11-19 02:55:10The Sorrow and Defeat of Watching the Taliban Reclaim Afghanistan
Hunter Lu, back toward camera, shares a toast with his mother, father, and grandfather. Photo courtesy of the author.

An Army Interrogator, His Grandfather, and a Bond Across Two Wars 

October 7, 2020
“My parents, like most Chinese immigrants, valued education as the ultimate achievement,” writes veteran Hunter Lu. “The military was for dumb people.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/me-my-parents-grandfather.jpg 1080 1548 Hunter Lu https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Hunter Lu2020-10-07 09:03:542021-04-27 23:39:32An Army Interrogator, His Grandfather, and a Bond Across Two Wars 
Ia Drang Valley Battle

A Long-Awaited Reunion for Two Black Veterans

November 27, 2019
An older incarcerated veteran gets a visit from a former combat infantryman that he served with in Vietnam.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Ia-Drang-Valley-Battle.jpg 419 640 R. Tyson Smith https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png R. Tyson Smith2019-11-27 09:25:502021-11-19 20:49:20A Long-Awaited Reunion for Two Black Veterans
Two voters in Kirkuk in Iraq’s first election of a democratic government since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 display their ink-stained fingers in 2005. Photo courtesy of the Defense Department.

“I Still Find Hope”—Purple Fingers, Steel Rain, and Getting “Messy” in a Combat Zone

October 28, 2020
Service members have voted by mail since World War II. “My nation trusted me,” writes Joshua Manning, who cast ballots while deployed to several countries.
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“How Would We Know When It Was Over?”–Perspective Is Power in Forever Wars

October 27, 2021
Since leaving the military, I’ve searched my soul for answers. Did I spend three years of my life fighting a lost cause?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/helicopter-web-2.jpg 1435 2100 Morgan Lerette https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Morgan Lerette2021-10-27 08:52:202021-11-18 21:45:46“How Would We Know When It Was Over?”–Perspective Is Power in Forever Wars

The Army Made Me Religious—Even Though I Still Don’t Believe in God

April 8, 2020
A love of community and military values became a former army sergeant’s faith.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/during-a-break-banner-web.jpg 765 1981 Kayla Williams https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kayla Williams2020-04-08 09:50:212021-11-19 18:14:00The Army Made Me Religious—Even Though I Still Don’t Believe in God
Naylon on an operation in a village outside of Bagram, Afghanistan, 2014. Photo credit: Spc. Jamill Ford for U.S. Army

Leaders Are Forged as a Rocket Falls

June 17, 2020
In a time of crisis, initiative trumps authority when authority fails to lead.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Pic-3-1800x600-1.jpg 600 1800 Maurice Naylon https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Maurice Naylon2020-06-17 09:27:392020-12-04 18:57:21Leaders Are Forged as a Rocket Falls
Joshua Plummer, then a first lieutenant, on his first deployment to Iraq in 2006 with 2nd Bn., 4th Marines. Photo courtesy of the author.

“Which One Is the Real Me?”—A Veteran’s Transition and Identity Crisis

January 5, 2022
Am I an uncivilized Marine who pretends to be a civilized man or a civilized man who pretends to be an uncivilized Marine when I don’t have to be cultured?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Iraq_2006-web.jpg 497 900 Joshua Plummer https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joshua Plummer2022-01-05 09:08:392022-01-05 09:32:37“Which One Is the Real Me?”—A Veteran’s Transition and Identity Crisis

“Proudly She Served”–Their Tragedies and Triumphs Taught Me What True Courage Is

June 8, 2022
Hearing their stories and then telling their stories in paint made me stand a little taller and gave me confidence to take on more challenging projects.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/portraits-2.jpg 600 1900 Steve Alpert https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Steve Alpert2022-06-08 09:14:272022-06-08 09:14:27“Proudly She Served”–Their Tragedies and Triumphs Taught Me What True Courage Is

Diving Shipwrecks of Futures Past During Navy Dive School

October 3, 2018
Tenley Lozano dove the retired aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, encountering great barracuda and memories of the ship she’d been serving on six months prior.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/shipwreck.jpg 1050 1400 Tenley Lozano https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tenley Lozano2018-10-03 13:31:572020-12-04 17:56:26Diving Shipwrecks of Futures Past During Navy Dive School
C.J. Pfutzner, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory mechanical engineer, runs to get on station to man the fire hose as Steven Tuttle, NRL combustion and reacting transport section head, adjusts the NRL-developed emulsified crude oil burner system’s airflow to administer emissions testing for the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement at the NRL Chesapeake Bay Detachment in 2019. Photo by Nicholas Pasquini, courtesy of the Naval Research Laboratory.

“We Must Do Our Part to Mitigate Climate Change”—The Military’s Pollution Problem

January 6, 2022
The military may be taking the threat of climate change seriously, but without reporting requirements, there’s a lack of transparency and accountability.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Crude-oil-web.jpg 558 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-01-06 08:51:122022-01-06 13:00:55“We Must Do Our Part to Mitigate Climate Change”—The Military’s Pollution Problem
Briana Céspedes, blue dress, center, and other service members rally at a U.S. military base in Korea in support of Cuban protesters in July. Photo courtesy of the author.

“We Were So Hungry We Ate Our Fear”–Those Without Freedom Risk Their Lives For Change

May 4, 2022
What could we do as our brothers and sisters risked their lives back home? Nothing except yell from across the ocean and tell them we stand with them. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IMG_0122-web.jpg 600 900 Briana Céspedes https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Briana Céspedes2022-05-04 09:30:572022-05-04 14:43:48“We Were So Hungry We Ate Our Fear”–Those Without Freedom Risk Their Lives For Change
Joe Simboli holds a picture of himself in a tank. Photo courtesy of Michele DeMarco.

We Trudged Through an Unknown, Unexperienced Evil—Unaware How That Evil Took Hold in Us

May 11, 2022
Joseph Simboli Jr., of the 89th Infantry Division, helped liberate Ohrdruf, the first Nazi concentration camp discovered by American forces in April 1945.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Joseph-Simboli-web-6.jpg 600 900 Joseph Simbol Jr. https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joseph Simbol Jr.2022-05-11 09:21:422022-05-16 09:51:24We Trudged Through an Unknown, Unexperienced Evil—Unaware How That Evil Took Hold in Us
The body of Ernie Pyle was laid to final rest in the new Punchbowl Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Oahu July 19, 1949

‘I Have Had All I Can Take’ — the Final Months of Legendary War Reporter Ernie Pyle

July 23, 2020
‘The Hurt Has Finally Become Too Great’
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-body-of-Ernie-Pyle-was-laid-to-final-rest-in-the-new-Punchbowl-Memorial-Cemetery-of-the-Pacific-Oahu-July-19-1949.jpg 552 685 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2020-07-23 09:38:412021-11-19 17:50:07‘I Have Had All I Can Take’ — the Final Months of Legendary War Reporter Ernie Pyle

Holding On When Leaving Feels Like Letting Go

October 19, 2022
I feel a sense of bereavement that I know, even in the moment, is outsized. But in a few weeks, my family will not own this home anymore.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/window-feature.jpg 687 1200 Jennifer Brookland https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jennifer Brookland2022-10-19 09:31:572022-10-19 10:49:39Holding On When Leaving Feels Like Letting Go

‘Time Heals Old Wounds. So Does a Bottle of Rum’

September 9, 2020
A father reconnects with his ex-wife during their son’s graduation from Army basic training. “I told her she was a good mother.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/dave-boe-feature-3.jpg 635 1481 Dave Boe https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dave Boe2020-09-09 09:43:252021-04-28 00:04:47‘Time Heals Old Wounds. So Does a Bottle of Rum’

I Asked Him About the Best Part of His Service–“Everybody Looked Out for Each Other.”

November 11, 2021
We went into the basement and he broke out old boxes and uniforms. As he went through them with me, he talked.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Lindsay-and-grandfather-feature.jpg 599 900 Lindsay Bennett https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Lindsay Bennett2021-11-11 06:41:572021-11-18 21:23:46I Asked Him About the Best Part of His Service–“Everybody Looked Out for Each Other.”

Photographing Innocence Amidst The Chaos And Silence Of War

April 12, 2017
Dan Bellis' memories from war swirl among the grains of sand he shared with civilians. He describes his wordless interaction with Afghan children.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/OrgunGirls.jpg 997 1500 Dan Bellis https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dan Bellis2017-04-12 17:31:392020-12-16 13:09:13Photographing Innocence Amidst The Chaos And Silence Of War

At Basic Training, Dad Was Sent to an Iron Chamber. It Was Filled with Mustard Gas

August 11, 2021
A secret testing program sent an entire trainee company to the hospital.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/James-Jerry-Ryals-poses-in-Navy-uniform-featured.jpeg 510 900 James T. Ryals https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png James T. Ryals2021-08-11 09:18:142021-11-19 03:08:16At Basic Training, Dad Was Sent to an Iron Chamber. It Was Filled with Mustard Gas
Soldiers who died together in Egypt during World War II fighting in North Africa in what is seen as one of the most decisive battles of the war. Photo courtesy of the author.

A Global Crossroads of Military History Buried in an Egyptian Desert

October 6, 2021
Egypt’s deserts have long demanded the attention of men like my husband, working in the name of Western governments locked in power competition.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Dinty-feature-web.jpg 502 900 Kathlyn Clore https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kathlyn Clore2021-10-06 08:59:422021-11-18 22:01:46A Global Crossroads of Military History Buried in an Egyptian Desert
Ensign Cierra Swiney, from Georgia, assigned to amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, uses a sound-powered telephone in the starboard bridge wing. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary D. Behrend, courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

No Shortage of Bad Leaders: Sailor Recalls Hostile Captain Who Set a Toxic Tone

December 15, 2021
There's nothing wrong with a captain giving officers a good chewing out. But it was hard to respect a leader who saw only the worst in others.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Bridge-2-featured.jpg 1051 2100 Thibaut Delloue https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thibaut Delloue2021-12-15 08:53:152021-12-15 08:53:15No Shortage of Bad Leaders: Sailor Recalls Hostile Captain Who Set a Toxic Tone
The F/A-18 Hornet Mark Fox flew when he faced a MiG during Operation Desert Storm being restored to display at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. Photo courtesy of Fox.

30 Years On, Veterans Recall the Desert Storm Air War

January 21, 2021
People tend to remember Desert Storm as a short, easy war. Compared with the “forever” wars, that makes sense: a 100-hour blip in the annals of history.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/web-Fox_Hornet.jpg 651 1000 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2021-01-21 11:43:572021-04-27 21:50:5330 Years On, Veterans Recall the Desert Storm Air War

Recall and Regress, Battling to Redefine Identity When Military Service Ends

May 2, 2018
Nathan Eckman wonders what a recall to service would mean for the life he’s built since exiting active duty, and if he’d answer that call.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/korea255of449.jpg 1013 1800 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2018-05-02 16:12:172020-12-16 13:12:32Recall and Regress, Battling to Redefine Identity When Military Service Ends
Soldiers deploying to the Gulf War make their way to a plane in 1990 at Volk Field, Wisconsin, on Jan. 1, 1991. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.

“Nearly All” VA Claims for Gulf War Illness “Improperly Denied”

May 20, 2021
A VA official said the department is “working diligently” to gather information and “remains fully committed” to the concerns of Gulf War veterans.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Volk-Field-web.jpg 1184 1826 David Goldstein https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Goldstein2021-05-20 09:42:152021-11-19 16:41:47“Nearly All” VA Claims for Gulf War Illness “Improperly Denied”

“They’re Like Sitting Ducks” — Treasury Renews Controversial VA Banking Service Amid Proceedings, Allegations of Defrauded Veterans

June 3, 2021
The thieves stole nearly $460,000. Then the Treasury awarded them another five-year contract, despite IG audits revealing alleged fraud and mismanagement.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Comerica-feature-web.jpg 960 2100 Courtney Mabeus https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Courtney Mabeus2021-06-03 10:27:382021-11-19 16:55:24“They’re Like Sitting Ducks” — Treasury Renews Controversial VA Banking Service Amid Proceedings, Allegations of Defrauded Veterans
The “Dirty Bastards” quick reaction force, made up of both American and Italian soldiers, poses at Forward Operating Base Lavaredo in Afghanistan in 2012. Photo courtesy of Nate Tilton.

How Being “In on the [Racist] Joke” Silences Service Members

July 22, 2020
Service members often feel compelled to laugh along at racist jokes and comments.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dirty-Bastards-960x636-1.jpg 636 960 Michael E. Flores https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael E. Flores2020-07-22 09:33:112020-12-04 18:03:36How Being “In on the [Racist] Joke” Silences Service Members

One Small Mistake, a Helicopter Crash, and a Combat Memorial

May 13, 2020
One small mistake causes the unnecessary death of a Cobra pilot in a combat zone.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Afghanistan-2-005-2100x700-web.jpg 700 2100 Anne Boaden https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anne Boaden2020-05-13 09:40:062021-11-19 18:04:18One Small Mistake, a Helicopter Crash, and a Combat Memorial

My Afghan Interpreter Earned His U.S. Citizenship. Then He Left.

August 19, 2021
He served with Marines and earned U.S. citizenship. His wife’s was denied. Now, they wait in Kabul, for the Taliban or her visa—whichever arrives first.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Marine-with-kids-1.jpeg 1400 2100 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2021-08-19 08:20:252021-11-19 02:57:25My Afghan Interpreter Earned His U.S. Citizenship. Then He Left.
Kacy Tellesen and Kyle Huth on a sweep-and-clear mission in Haqlaniyah, Iraq. Photo courtesy of the author.

Now When I Think About Valentine’s Day, I Think About Grenades

November 3, 2021
Unlike the movies, the scene doesn’t cut away after a tragedy. You can’t flash forward to a better time.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Kasy-Tellesen-and-Kyle-Huth-sweep-andclear-mission-Haqlaniyah-Iraq-web.jpg 640 960 Kacy Tellessen https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kacy Tellessen2021-11-03 09:37:412021-11-18 21:41:22Now When I Think About Valentine’s Day, I Think About Grenades
Ryan Pavel helps a group of Iraqi soldiers work through a land navigation exercise. Photo courtesy of the author.

A Presumption of Guilt: The Uncomfortable Identity of a ‘Disabled’ Veteran Who Feels Like an Imposter

January 17, 2023
Had I been shot in the kneecap and collected compensation for loss of full use of my leg, I would feel less guilty about compensation.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Help-web.jpg 675 900 Ryan Pavel https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ryan Pavel2023-01-17 15:48:422023-01-18 09:11:13A Presumption of Guilt: The Uncomfortable Identity of a ‘Disabled’ Veteran Who Feels Like an Imposter
A U.S. Marine mourns at a memorial service in September for the 13 service members who were killed in action in Kabul, Afghanistan, at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. Photo by Cpl. Brennan J. Beauton, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Veterans Will Tell Their Stories—Shaping the Narrative of the Forever Wars

November 11, 2021
They already tell the tales, stories that will need to be sorted into something we can bear, that will help us heal.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Japan-web.jpg 600 900 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2021-11-11 08:50:432021-11-11 08:52:42The Veterans Will Tell Their Stories—Shaping the Narrative of the Forever Wars
Heidi Agostini embedded with the Regimental Combat Team 7 Female Engagement Team during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010. Marjah, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Sgt. Megan Sindelar

Why Isn’t Infertility in Military Women a Bigger Conversation?

February 26, 2020
For female service members, putting off children and career advancement are linked. Yet, research shows that military women are at a higher risk of infertility. What is the Defense Department doing about this dilemma?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/HEIDI4-web.jpg 480 720 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2020-02-26 10:00:092021-11-19 19:02:25Why Isn’t Infertility in Military Women a Bigger Conversation?
Nathan Lowry says he attempted to practice his Arabic with anyone willing to listen during his first deployment, including this hefty Barbary macaque. Photo courtesy of Nathan Lowry.

To Prepare for War, Dubbed Disney Classics and a Detour to the “Wild West”

December 9, 2020
“Guess it’s time to find The Lion King in Pashto.” A Marine studies Disney classics in Arabic to prepare for the Iraq war only to be sent to Afghanistan.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Nathan-Lowry-with-macaque-3.jpg 1110 2100 Nathan Lowry https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nathan Lowry2020-12-09 09:30:362021-11-19 17:33:52To Prepare for War, Dubbed Disney Classics and a Detour to the “Wild West”

A Marine’s Dilemma: Who Bears Responsibility for War?

March 9, 2022
I never fought in combat and never killed. And if I am honest with myself, I am a little bit ashamed of that.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/martial-arts-web-1.jpg 520 900 Paul Schaffner https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Paul Schaffner2022-03-09 08:11:382022-03-09 08:11:38A Marine’s Dilemma: Who Bears Responsibility for War?
Future Marines from Marine Corps Recruiting Station Fort Worth get a taste of what recruit training will be like during the station’s Annual Pool Function in 2019.

“What Had We Done to Jeffery?”–Marine Relives Role in Hazing

September 1, 2021
"I’ll never forget his screams echoing off the block walls of the barracks. No one came to investigate. No one ever came to investigate."
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Boot-camp-web.jpg 600 900 Russell Hellyer https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Russell Hellyer2021-09-01 08:14:402021-11-19 02:34:58“What Had We Done to Jeffery?”–Marine Relives Role in Hazing

The Air Force Was Hard, Finding a Soul Sister After Returning Home Was Harder

July 3, 2017
Elizabeth O'Herrin searched for human connection after deciding not to reenlist. When she returned to church after a decades-long absence, O'Herrin found a soul sister.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1468566_10102714317782287_928131087_n.jpg 640 960 Liz O'Herrin Lee https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liz O'Herrin Lee2017-07-03 14:07:442020-11-24 00:07:43The Air Force Was Hard, Finding a Soul Sister After Returning Home Was Harder

The Story Behind Operation Pineapple Express, a Daring Rescue Effort in Afghanistan

November 17, 2022
“Veterans know something the politicians don’t. ‘I have your back’ means something. Our failure to honor that promise is way bigger than the moral issue.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/airport-feature.jpg 658 1333 Martin Kuz https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Martin Kuz2022-11-17 09:25:192022-11-22 19:24:03The Story Behind Operation Pineapple Express, a Daring Rescue Effort in Afghanistan
The author on a field exercise at The Basic School at Quantico, Virginia in 2006. Courtesy of Anne Boaden

“This Is What Closure Feels Like”—the Aftermath of Miscarriage While Your Spouse Is Deployed

January 8, 2020
A Marine reservist recounts an unexplained loss while her husband is deployed.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/TBS-034-web.jpg 1467 1100 Anne Boaden https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anne Boaden2020-01-08 09:55:592021-11-19 20:32:42“This Is What Closure Feels Like”—the Aftermath of Miscarriage While Your Spouse Is Deployed

“I Thought I Was Going to Die”—Explosions and an Easter Sunday Service in Iraq

April 1, 2020
A combat Army officer reflects on what it means to be at war for your country and search for spiritual meaning.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mid-March-010-banner-high-scaled.jpg 1184 2560 Nick Fox https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nick Fox2020-04-01 09:43:442020-12-04 14:59:31“I Thought I Was Going to Die”—Explosions and an Easter Sunday Service in Iraq

Things Are Going to Get Hot Before Long. I Hope and Pray I Come Out of It All Right.

April 13, 2022
I know I am forever grateful for what Ernest Pugh has given me, and he will live in my heart as he did in Dad’s.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Lawrence-Pugh-their-parents-Ernest-Pugh-featured.jpg 299 446 Christy Stephens Martin https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Christy Stephens Martin2022-04-13 09:45:132022-04-13 14:53:33Things Are Going to Get Hot Before Long. I Hope and Pray I Come Out of It All Right.

“Better Than Sex?”–Germans, SEALs, JSOC, and One Soldier’s First Jump

April 20, 2022
“You know how lucky you are, right? It’s Valentine’s Day, your last name is Valentine, this is your [first] jump, and you’re getting German jump wings?”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/me_and_a_teammate-web-900.jpg 494 900 ​​Maurice D. Valentine https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png ​​Maurice D. Valentine2022-04-20 08:21:502022-04-20 11:35:21“Better Than Sex?”–Germans, SEALs, JSOC, and One Soldier’s First Jump
Alex Perez, far right, with his shipmates on the USS Samuel B. Roberts in 1988. Photo courtesy of the author.

“Hold on to something!”—A Moment that Shifted the Fate of the USS Samuel B. Roberts Crew

September 22, 2021
“The explosion created a 20-foot hole along the bottom of the ship’s hull. I saw a ball of flame and felt a rush of hot air on my face and arms.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/group-shot-web.jpg 547 942 Alex Perez https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Alex Perez2021-09-22 07:01:542021-11-18 22:11:48“Hold on to something!”—A Moment that Shifted the Fate of the USS Samuel B. Roberts Crew
Toward the end of another long day, Mike, a Team Rubicon security adviser and retired Army Special Forces officer, listens to music with a teenager at an orphanage in Lviv. They sit together as if they’ve known each other for years. In Ukraine, myriad aspects of the human experience are on display. But through the trauma, fear, and grief threads a natural gravitation toward bonding with others: in the bomb shelters, in the food lines, in the streets, and in the homes. Everywhere. Mike asked that his last name not be used for security reasons.

They Want to Know the World Cares and That They Are Not Alone

July 6, 2022
The Ukrainian people were grateful for us, and that gratitude made us feel small and humbled.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Jamie-Brown_Ukraine_002-web.jpg 600 900 Jamie Brown https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jamie Brown2022-07-06 09:12:012022-07-06 09:23:30They Want to Know the World Cares and That They Are Not Alone

Brother, Forgive Me. “I Cannot Carry the Consequences of This War Alone.”

February 21, 2018
In Joe, Drew Pham found a supportive peer and guide. One careless act threatened their relationship, forcing Drew to really consider what Joe means to him.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/4_0376.jpg 667 1000 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2018-02-21 18:01:272020-12-04 17:52:51Brother, Forgive Me. “I Cannot Carry the Consequences of This War Alone.”

Advocates Activated by Marines United Are Gathering Strength

July 21, 2017
Marines United has resurfaced the Defense Department's "silent epidemic." Advocates are determined not to let the conversation die again.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/erika-butner.jpg 562 1000 Andrea Januta https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea Januta2017-07-21 16:14:072020-12-04 17:46:15Advocates Activated by Marines United Are Gathering Strength

Rebuilding Honor: How Kyle Carpenter Came Back From The Brink Of Death

November 11, 2016
Seven years ago this month Lance Corporal Kyle Carpenter suffered grievous wounds after shielding another Marine from a grenade blast in Afghanistan. Somehow, he survived. This is the story of his remarkable recovery.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/KYLECARPENTER_TWH_EliotDudik_66.jpg 1000 1500 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2016-11-11 21:27:102021-11-20 01:13:30Rebuilding Honor: How Kyle Carpenter Came Back From The Brink Of Death

Wounded Knee Massacre ‘Tarnishes’ Integrity of Medal of Honor

August 25, 2022
After soldiers killed women and children at the end of the Indian Wars, the soldiers received the military’s highest award.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Wagon-web.jpg 564 900 Gabriel Pietrorazio https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Gabriel Pietrorazio2022-08-25 09:15:002023-02-01 12:36:56Wounded Knee Massacre ‘Tarnishes’ Integrity of Medal of Honor

The Newest Military Branch—the Space Force

May 28, 2020
Despite a bumpy launch, the Space Force seeks to modernize U.S. defense in outer space.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SpaceForcelaunch-1000x1000-1.jpg 1091 1000 Rowan Philp https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Rowan Philp2020-05-28 09:39:432020-11-23 16:33:39The Newest Military Branch—the Space Force
Russell Worth Parker with then-three-year-old daughter having a Christmas tea party with her dad by Skype while he was deployed.

Three Disparate Events. Three Subsequent Days. And an Unresolved Dissonance.

August 4, 2021
As troops withdraw from Afghanistan and the Taliban regains power, a retired Marine reflects on his career in the military and what comes next.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Skype-Christmas-Tea-Party-with-daughter-Russell-Worth-Parker.jpg 962 2100 Russell Worth Parker https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Russell Worth Parker2021-08-04 09:09:472021-11-19 03:11:42Three Disparate Events. Three Subsequent Days. And an Unresolved Dissonance.

Infil: Where Two-Dimensional PowerPoints and Rock Talk Meet “Visceral Lethality”

March 10, 2021
“Reality sank in as we donned our combat gear in the ready room,” writes a former Army infantry officer. “In combat, do you ever really have control?”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Infil-3-web.jpg 1400 2100 Matthew Hanes https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Matthew Hanes2021-03-10 08:30:592021-04-27 20:54:57Infil: Where Two-Dimensional PowerPoints and Rock Talk Meet “Visceral Lethality”
The al-Shaymeh Education Complex for Girls after it was struck by missiles fired by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition. Hodeidah, Yemen. November 9, 2015. Photo Courtesy Amnesty International

“No One Is Winning”—U.S. War in Yemen “Fundamentally a Stalemate”

December 4, 2019
Tangled alliances with allies and their foes make this one messy war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/222853_Attack-on-al-Shaymeh-Education-Complex_-yemen-web.jpg 1400 2100 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2019-12-04 09:30:302021-11-19 20:46:32“No One Is Winning”—U.S. War in Yemen “Fundamentally a Stalemate”

Answering the Call for Veterans and Military Families ‘Suffering in Silence’

August 14, 2019
Vets4Warriors, a mostly donations-based phone support program, seeks to end the stigma of vets getting help and the shame of asking for it.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_1512-1080x675.jpg 675 1080 Michael Gaynor https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael Gaynor2019-08-14 10:36:102020-12-04 17:48:07Answering the Call for Veterans and Military Families ‘Suffering in Silence’

“They let us talk. They listened.” Adapting to Survive a War I Never Understood

May 5, 2021
“Elders questioned our motives, what we wanted, when we would leave,” writes a veteran of Afghanistan. “They let us talk. They listened.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/shura-3-900x486-1.jpg 486 900 Joe Stanek https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joe Stanek2021-05-05 09:01:492021-11-19 17:12:25“They let us talk. They listened.” Adapting to Survive a War I Never Understood

When the Stress of Combat Hits You in a High School Classroom

October 9, 2019
A former infantry officer realized the impact of war lingers longer than he’d thought.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pic-3.jpg 2524 3522 Maurice Naylon https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Maurice Naylon2019-10-09 13:52:002020-11-23 20:46:01When the Stress of Combat Hits You in a High School Classroom

An Army Brat and a Gold Star On Graduation Day

June 20, 2018
Kelly McHugh-Stewart’s father died in Afghanistan on May 18, 2010. Since then she’s had two separate graduations—both were on the anniversary of his death.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gold-star.jpg 609 1200 Kelly McHugh-Stewart https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly McHugh-Stewart2018-06-20 15:31:272020-12-04 17:44:27An Army Brat and a Gold Star On Graduation Day
Morgan Lerette stands in front of a mural of Saddam Hussein during the ground offensive in 2003.

Falling Out of Love With war: It Could Never Live Up to My Expectations.

February 23, 2022
Both of us wanted to be together, war and I, but ultimately realized the relationship was unsalvageable as we clung to it hoping things would change.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/saddam-web.jpg 581 900 Morgan Lerette https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Morgan Lerette2022-02-23 08:27:502023-03-22 08:45:15Falling Out of Love With war: It Could Never Live Up to My Expectations.

Going Back To The Slaughterhouse For Souvenirs Of The War

September 11, 2016
Pete Lucier missed the fighting days of the Iraq & Afghanistan Wars. He describes the lack of strategy plaguing this era of war on the anniversary of 9/11.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1000w_q95.jpg 667 1000 Peter Lucier https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Peter Lucier2016-09-11 22:01:052021-06-07 20:23:09Going Back To The Slaughterhouse For Souvenirs Of The War

The Man with Half a Head

July 13, 2016
Who helps wounded veterans? Adele Levine shares her experience working with military amputees as a physical therapist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/clinic.jpg 991 1500 Adele Levine https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Adele Levine2016-07-13 19:20:572021-06-07 17:51:12The Man with Half a Head
She was set— a Marine Corps officer enrolled in a PhD program and headed to a new duty station on the West Coast. But then she woke up in a jail cell with her world falling apart.

A Marine Officer, an Uber, and the Arrest

June 26, 2019
She was set— a Marine Corps officer enrolled in a PhD program and headed to a new duty station on the West Coast. But then she woke up in a jail cell with her world falling apart.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/graduation-1-e1561478507458.jpeg 1512 2016 Maggie Seymour https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Maggie Seymour2019-06-26 09:00:592020-12-04 14:48:32A Marine Officer, an Uber, and the Arrest

“I Hope She’s Scarred for Life” — Recalling My Time as a Blackwater Mercenary

October 21, 2020
Blackwater employees were “integral” to rebuilding Iraq, but with limited oversight, contractors had “no ethical obligation” to the country’s citizens.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Blackwater-contractors-practice-at-shooting-range-in-Green-Zone-Baghdad.jpg 838 900 Morgan Lerette https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Morgan Lerette2020-10-21 09:06:122021-04-27 23:29:11“I Hope She’s Scarred for Life” — Recalling My Time as a Blackwater Mercenary

Military Suicide a Different Kind of Plague

May 1, 2019
After two men from the same unit killed themselves, maddening questions about life take their place for those who remain.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Kilo-company-lines-up.jpg 3080 5472 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2019-05-01 12:00:332021-11-19 21:01:11Military Suicide a Different Kind of Plague
Sherman Gillums speaks with Marine Sgt. Alphonso Lee Lopez during a ward visit to the San Diego VA Spinal Cord Injury unit in 2005. Photo courtesy of the author.

“Heroes Also Need Heroes”–Robbed of a Chance at Combat, Marine Joins Another Fight

February 9, 2022
The reality that my time in uniform had ended took over every waking thought I had. How close I'd come to living my dream became part of the torture.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/sherman-gillums-jr-visiting-patients.jpg 546 900 Sherman Gillums Jr. https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sherman Gillums Jr.2022-02-09 09:13:062022-02-09 09:13:06“Heroes Also Need Heroes”–Robbed of a Chance at Combat, Marine Joins Another Fight

Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 2

September 12, 2018
Drew Pham writes about his experiences going to war as a migrant after September 11th in this four part series for The War House. This is 2 of 4.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/AnAfghancivilianwatchesapassingAmericanpatrol.jpg 1423 1405 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2018-09-12 13:22:582020-12-16 12:59:17Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 2

Everything Is Supposed To Be Quiet After A Massacre

September 11, 2016
Army PFC JP Lawrence deployed to Iraq after the 2006 Sunni Awakening. He shares stories of the Post-9/11 Iraq invasion & reflects on false narratives of war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/100704-Z-FR744-057.jpg 1004 1500 J.P. Lawrence https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png J.P. Lawrence2016-09-11 19:39:492021-06-07 19:18:53Everything Is Supposed To Be Quiet After A Massacre

How the Marine Corps Struck Gold in a Trash Heap During the Defense Department’s Fight Against Climate Change

June 30, 2021
The DOD treats climate change as a catastrophic threat to national security. “A shrinking polar ice cap doesn’t just mean thinking about polar bears.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Lejeune-feature-web.jpg 1126 2100 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2021-06-30 17:00:382021-11-19 16:12:21How the Marine Corps Struck Gold in a Trash Heap During the Defense Department’s Fight Against Climate Change

The Unknown Legacy of Military Mental Health Programs

October 2, 2019
After 9/11, the U.S. military created hundreds of mental health programs, and many did not closely track spending or record their outcomes.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/1631740.jpg 3586 5338 Daniel DeFraia https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Daniel DeFraia2019-10-02 11:09:392020-11-23 20:47:45The Unknown Legacy of Military Mental Health Programs
U.S. Marine sniper scouts use surveillance equipment to study the surrounding territory. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Archives.

A Two-Decade Journey of Close Calls From Lebanon to Kuwait and Iraq

June 16, 2021
When a Marine officer transferred to the reserves, he believed he’d only be activated for “something with a clear purpose.” Then he was deployed to Iraq.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/us-marines-use-serveillance-equipment-to-study-surrounding-territory-web.jpg 1063 2100 Reed Bonadonna https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Reed Bonadonna2021-06-16 08:57:012021-11-19 16:35:35A Two-Decade Journey of Close Calls From Lebanon to Kuwait and Iraq
Sonner Kehrt on Healy’s flying bridge, far above the Arctic Circle. Photo courtesy of author.

Becoming a Lobster and Surviving the Monotony of a Coast Guard Deployment to the Arctic Circle

January 20, 2021
When the Covid-19 lockdowns began, a Coast Guard officer reflected on her military deployment to the Arctic Circle and the familiar feeling of isolation.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Sonner-Kehrt-Coast-Guard-Deployment-on-Healy-Arctic-Circle.jpg 1068 2100 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2021-01-20 09:30:222021-04-27 21:55:06Becoming a Lobster and Surviving the Monotony of a Coast Guard Deployment to the Arctic Circle
It's time for the US military to track white nationalism within its ranks by The War Horse

White Supremacy in the Military “Like a Drop of Cyanide in Your Drink”

March 18, 2020
Since 9/11, there have been documented instances of white nationalism in the U.S. military, but the Defense Department won’t track the numbers.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/male-confed-tshirt-weapon-900x.jpg 675 900 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2020-03-18 10:00:522020-11-23 17:03:38White Supremacy in the Military “Like a Drop of Cyanide in Your Drink”
Airmen with the 374th Airlift Squadron wait and watch for the arrival of President Donald Trump before a troop talk at Yokota Air Base, Japan, in 2017. False allegations of voter fraud continue nearly two years after Trump lost the presidential election. Photo by Senior Airman Donald Hudson, photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

Veterans and Reservists Make up More Than 28% of Candidates Who Question 2020 Election Results

October 16, 2022
Among candidates on the 2022 ballot who question the 2020 election results are 96 with military experience, including 12 candidates currently serving.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Trump-web-feature.jpg 680 1200 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-10-16 11:14:122022-10-16 18:11:12Veterans and Reservists Make up More Than 28% of Candidates Who Question 2020 Election Results
Joel Searls visits 1st Lt. William Donnelly IV’s gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo courtesy of the author.

Come Thanksgiving, I Will Think of His Sacrifice and the Human Cost of War

November 22, 2022
I thought about his lost future and struggled to compose myself. I knew it was up to all of us who make it home to carry on the memory of those who don’t.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Grave-Site-feature-2.jpg 511 900 Joel Searls https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joel Searls2022-11-22 09:20:482022-11-22 09:32:09Come Thanksgiving, I Will Think of His Sacrifice and the Human Cost of War

Old West Pistoleros and My Love of Machine Guns

March 7, 2018
Jerad W. Alexander fired his first machine gun at 12 and was hypnotized. Not many years later, patrolling Iraqi streets, he learned the weapon's power.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/73016_492986346254_5605538_n.jpg 800 1200 Jerad W. Alexander https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jerad W. Alexander2018-03-07 21:36:082020-12-16 13:07:50Old West Pistoleros and My Love of Machine Guns

The Dangers of the Marine Corps’ Complacency About Covid-19

May 14, 2020
Is the Marine Corps taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously enough?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/complacency-facebook-2100x600-1.jpg 600 2100 Andrea Scott https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea Scott2020-05-14 09:50:362020-11-23 16:45:37The Dangers of the Marine Corps’ Complacency About Covid-19

An Army Officer and the Wounded Girl in the Little Blue Jumper

October 10, 2018
Melissa Thomas held the little girl in her lap as their Humvee sped to meet the helicopter, uttering “English-nonsense” to keep the child from passing out.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DSC_0071.jpg 1629 2500 Melissa Thomas https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Melissa Thomas2018-10-10 13:35:502020-12-04 17:45:23An Army Officer and the Wounded Girl in the Little Blue Jumper
U.S. Marine Corps drill instructors with the 4th Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Photo by Lance Cpl. Vincent White, courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps.

Without Birth Control Help, Marines’ Readiness Suffers

June 11, 2020
Declining access to birth control services and education at boot camp are linked to increased birth rates in the first two years of military service.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Training2-2000x600-1.jpg 600 1999 Patricia Kime https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Patricia Kime2020-06-11 09:13:152020-11-23 16:27:34Without Birth Control Help, Marines’ Readiness Suffers
Portrait of a woman Triptych, by Artist Steve Albert

A Calling Through Art, Decades After Choosing Not to Serve

December 30, 2020
“My name should be on that wall.” A civilian reflects on choosing not to join the military during the Vietnam War and his journey to create art about war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Portrait-of-a-Woman-Triptych-by-artist-Steve-Alpert-1500x650-1.jpg 650 1500 Steve Alpert https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Steve Alpert2020-12-30 09:30:312021-04-27 22:09:45A Calling Through Art, Decades After Choosing Not to Serve
Lee Herron, left, and David Nelson are commissioned as second lieutenants on June 7, 1967, after graduating from Texas Tech University. Photo courtesy of the author.

A Veteran’s 30-Year Journey to Learn About a Friend Killed During the Vietnam War

February 17, 2021
For decades, he searched for information about a friend killed during in Vietnam, a journey that ended visiting the gravesite with the Marine’s mother.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Nelson-and-Herron-web.jpg 838 1196 David Nelson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Nelson2021-02-17 09:14:292021-04-27 21:13:51A Veteran’s 30-Year Journey to Learn About a Friend Killed During the Vietnam War

Betrayal, Sedatives, and the Long Road Home

March 11, 2020
The Army had been her life until it turned into her enemy. A former combat medic reflects on the ultimate betrayal of giving her all in service and feeling abandoned in return.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/lake-beer-can.jpg 312 640 Nicole Johnson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nicole Johnson2020-03-11 10:00:402020-12-04 17:52:08Betrayal, Sedatives, and the Long Road Home

Learning to Listen on Denali

February 1, 2017
Margaux Mange helped teach Pat Gault to seek out war stories of all stripes. Their chance meeting on Denali changed his life.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/4banger.jpg 834 1455 Pat Gault https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Pat Gault2017-02-01 20:05:592020-12-16 12:58:36Learning to Listen on Denali

Putting Down Our Guns and Ammo for a Tray of Hummus

August 8, 2018
Nathan and his unit traveled to Oman in 2013 to train with its military. Quickly, training evolved into an experience the Corps had not prepared them for.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/putting-down-our-guns.jpg 1016 2000 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2018-08-08 16:05:472020-12-16 13:09:52Putting Down Our Guns and Ammo for a Tray of Hummus

Finding Peace in Lederhosen

June 10, 2020
A jaded Gulf War veteran needed a break, and found it in a small Bavarian town. A reflection by Dave Boe
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/marktplatz01_bgdadvent-900x601-web.jpg 601 900 Dave Boe https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dave Boe2020-06-10 09:31:102020-12-04 17:58:59Finding Peace in Lederhosen
The author, Jackie Munn, and her husband celebrate their wedding. Courtesy of Visionari Photography

Crossing the Line of Departure as a Woman in Special Operations

October 24, 2018
Jackie Munn and her husband quietly said their last goodbyes before she boarded the C-17 headed to Afghanistan and her Cultural Support Team assignment.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Jackie-Munn-wedding.jpeg 665 1000 Jackie Munn https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jackie Munn2018-10-24 13:30:372020-12-04 17:55:55Crossing the Line of Departure as a Woman in Special Operations

Life Marches On and Only a Few Hold Onto the Echoes of History

November 17, 2021
Are we granted quick glances through windows to our pasts? Do we dare allow these things to reach us in this life? 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/LEGACY_-40X78-Oil-on-linen.jpg 417 800 Steve Alpert https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Steve Alpert2021-11-17 09:01:302021-11-18 20:47:52Life Marches On and Only a Few Hold Onto the Echoes of History
Hoppin chatting with cadets at the Air Force Academy before a Board of Visitors meeting.

Forced Pivots and Finding Purpose as a Military Spouse

September 4, 2019
How the founder of the National Military Spouse Network reignited her career after years out of the workforce
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/air-force-academy-e1567617103969.jpg 827 1439 Sue Hoppin https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sue Hoppin2019-09-04 13:12:412020-12-04 17:59:19Forced Pivots and Finding Purpose as a Military Spouse
A cup full of single-use, ion-exchange, gel-based media sits atop valves that control a groundwater remediation system being used to remove PFAS from groundwater at the fire training area of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in, 2020. Photo by Ty Greenlees, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

“It’s Scary as Hell”—PFAS Exposure a “Widespread” Problem for Troops, Families Nationwide

June 30, 2022
Some of the highest concentrations of PFAS chemicals in the country have been found at and around military bases.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Gel-based-web.jpg 600 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-06-30 08:57:062022-07-06 09:25:18“It’s Scary as Hell”—PFAS Exposure a “Widespread” Problem for Troops, Families Nationwide
Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 3rd Class Emette Kim and Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Jonathan Howland, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6, discuss rescue communications with Air Force Staff Sgt. Troy Koontz, a survival, evasion, resistance, and escape specialist assigned to Air Education and Training Command, Fairchild Air Force Base, during a daylong survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) refresher training at the Marine Corps Training Area Bellows in 2016. Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Benjamin A. Lewis, courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

SERE School: Where Military-Grade Hide-and-Seek Meets a Life-and-Death Struggle

July 21, 2021
By the time we were “captured,” we were so exhausted from the cold, little sleep, the lack of food, and the countless miles that we lost all sense of time.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Survival-web.jpg 599 900 Joshua Plummer https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joshua Plummer2021-07-21 09:33:072021-11-19 15:17:47SERE School: Where Military-Grade Hide-and-Seek Meets a Life-and-Death Struggle

Because This Moment Simply Is

September 11, 2016
Kyle Carpenter, a Marine veteran of Afghanistan and Medal of Honor recipient, reflects on the need for hope, humility, and thankfulness on the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/KYLECARPENTER_TWH_EliotDudik_14.jpg 667 1000 William "Kyle" Carpenter https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png William "Kyle" Carpenter2016-09-11 17:36:092021-06-07 19:00:33Because This Moment Simply Is
Navy Fire Control Technician 1st Class Quincy Miller embraces his family after the fast-attack submarine USS Texas arrived home after a seven-month deployment. Photo by Chief Mass Communication Spc. Amanda Gray, photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

The Threat of War Is Shifting, and We Intend to Win. But It Will Come at a Cost.

May 18, 2022
The costs will be time. We will have precious little of it with our sailors. The costs are real people and real families.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Little-Girls-web.jpg 427 640 Jenny Lynne Stroup https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jenny Lynne Stroup2022-05-18 09:41:162022-05-18 09:49:10The Threat of War Is Shifting, and We Intend to Win. But It Will Come at a Cost.

“Come on, You Sons of Bitches, Do You Want to Live Forever?”– A Hero Rises Among Heroes

March 2, 2022
In a room full of Medal of Honor recipients, Dan Daly provides inspiration.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/14_Roberts-featured.jpg 472 681 Charley Roberts https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Charley Roberts2022-03-02 09:11:182022-03-02 09:11:18“Come on, You Sons of Bitches, Do You Want to Live Forever?”– A Hero Rises Among Heroes
An Afghan National Army commando with the 6th Special Operations Kandak guards a rooftop during morning operations in Tagab District, Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, in February 2013. Photo by Pfc. James K. McCann, courtesy of U.S. Army.

“Why Are You Leaving Now?”—a Rookie Afghan Policeman, a Combat Veteran, and a Shared Loss of Naivety

April 14, 2021
“The look of fear on the faces of these local policemen as we left our position is something I will never forget,” writes an Army veteran of Afghanistan.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Tagab-web.jpg 1021 2100 Corbin Chesley https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Corbin Chesley2021-04-14 09:03:272021-04-27 19:04:13“Why Are You Leaving Now?”—a Rookie Afghan Policeman, a Combat Veteran, and a Shared Loss of Naivety

When Life as a Military Spouse Got Hard, Amber Was Always There

July 4, 2017
Liesel Kershul felt isolated and struggled to make friends when she and her Marine moved to Germany. Their adopted dog Amber helped change that.
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A burn pit in Balad, Iraq. Photo courtesy of Dan Clare

Burn Pits—The Military’s Next Agent Orange

October 23, 2019
Burn pits have been poisoning soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last 11 years. But Veterans Affairs seems reluctant to do anything about it.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/burn-pit-dark.jpg 803 1200 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2019-10-23 10:00:302020-12-04 17:53:44Burn Pits—The Military’s Next Agent Orange
Anne Boaden, her daughter, and her son in May. Photo courtesy of the author.

From Deployment to Homecoming. And a Pregnancy During Lockdown.

August 25, 2021
Four days after he returned home from deployment, our first lockdown in England began. We went from extreme separation to extreme togetherness.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BOA-39-web.jpg 459 900 Anne Boaden https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anne Boaden2021-08-25 08:53:552021-11-19 02:41:19From Deployment to Homecoming. And a Pregnancy During Lockdown.
Larry Freeland stands in front of his CH-47 Chinook during the Vietnam War. Photo courtesy of the author.

“I’m Lucky to Be Alive Tonight”–Journals of War and Peace From Two Sides of the World

March 30, 2022
I didn’t want to unduly burden my family. Journalizing late into my evenings helped me to occasionally relax and release some stress.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/chinook-web.jpg 320 637 Larry Freeland https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Larry Freeland2022-03-30 08:33:192022-03-30 08:33:19“I’m Lucky to Be Alive Tonight”–Journals of War and Peace From Two Sides of the World
Capt. Dave Kenney, Headquarter Support Battalion platoon leader (right), 1-37 Field Artillery, prepares to send a squad in to clear the objective during a training exercise at Forward Operating Base Endurance. Mosul, Sept. 9, 2004. Photo courtesy of Staff Sergeant Gretel Weiskopf

The Stories I Share as a Woman Veteran

December 18, 2019
A former Army photojournalist and combat medic grapples with how much people should know about war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1451.jpg 1200 1626 Gretel Weiskopf https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Gretel Weiskopf2019-12-18 08:30:192021-11-19 20:38:20The Stories I Share as a Woman Veteran

A War That Began As Children

July 14, 2016
How easy is it for military families to discuss experiences at war? Derrick Perkins shares his story as a journalist reporting on military affairs while his own brother deployed overseas and the nonexistent conversations that followed.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/080.jpg 750 1000 Derrick Perkins https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Derrick Perkins2016-07-14 18:57:322021-06-07 17:57:57A War That Began As Children

Sunflowers and Steel Rain

December 7, 2016
Elizabeth O'Herrin describes picking flowers and catching ladybugs as a kid. While deployed in the Middle East, sunflowers hid mortars and the land turned gray.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Deployment.jpg 1000 1500 Liz O'Herrin Lee https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liz O'Herrin Lee2016-12-07 18:38:462020-11-24 00:26:21Sunflowers and Steel Rain

Go In For A Military Haircut, Leave With A Beating

August 15, 2018
Augusto Giacoman went in for a haircut, high and tight. Then things went terribly wrong.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/go-in-for-haircut.jpg 832 1639 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2018-08-15 12:56:552020-12-04 18:01:37Go In For A Military Haircut, Leave With A Beating

“Wars Are Real, Bullets Can Kill.”—Recalling the Death of My Invincibility

November 6, 2019
A Marine officer reflects on his youthful fearlessness—and its end.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_1744.jpg 435 719 Major Ryan W. Pallas https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Major Ryan W. Pallas2019-11-06 10:49:152021-11-19 20:55:41“Wars Are Real, Bullets Can Kill.”—Recalling the Death of My Invincibility

Invisible Service–Military Families Bear Burden of American Freedom

August 24, 2022
I knew I was away from home too much, I missed too many Little League games and anniversary dinners. I thought I could make up for it when I was back home.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Family-900x525-1.jpg 525 900 Paul “Greg” Smith https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Paul “Greg” Smith2022-08-24 08:52:232022-08-24 08:52:23Invisible Service–Military Families Bear Burden of American Freedom
Lt. Col. James Rainy (left), commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Mace (right), battalion command sergeant major., both of 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, offer their final respects to Sgt. Jonathan Shields and Spc. Jose Valez, who were killed in the Battle of Fallujah in 2004. Photo by Cpl. Benjamin M. Cossel, courtesy of U.S. Army.

I Had Never Seen the Impact of War Until I Spoke With Those Who Waged It

November 11, 2021
In the movies, veterans tend to be tough, male, white, so I expected that, like the movies, I would find the typical strong man who protected our country.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Fallujah.jpg 586 900 Jessica Wojdak https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jessica Wojdak2021-11-11 07:20:052021-11-18 21:17:40I Had Never Seen the Impact of War Until I Spoke With Those Who Waged It
Johnnie Gilpen, left, works in the emergency room for children at Oklahoma University’s Health Sciences Center with Dr. Ryan Brown. Photo courtesy of the author.

Corpsman-Turned-Covid-19 Frontliner: Delta Isn’t a “Political Stunt”

September 15, 2021
"Why did you fall asleep at the wheel?” My answer: It’s a pitfall of being a juggler in the largest ongoing circus in the world—the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Johnnie-and-Dr-Brown-Thanksgiving-2020-OUHSC-Childrens-Er-1.jpeg 364 672 Johnnie Gilpen https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Johnnie Gilpen2021-09-15 09:35:242021-11-18 22:15:26Corpsman-Turned-Covid-19 Frontliner: Delta Isn’t a “Political Stunt”

She Couldn’t Imagine The Fear. She Could Imagine Walking Barefoot, Carrying Her Heels

September 11, 2017
Annie Erling felt like an interloper when she worked at the Holocaust Museum and again at the 9/11 Museum. Then she came upon a pair of bloodied heels.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/dsc_7449-1000x423.jpg 680 1300 Annie Erling https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Annie Erling2017-09-11 18:54:302020-12-16 13:15:39She Couldn’t Imagine The Fear. She Could Imagine Walking Barefoot, Carrying Her Heels

Troops, Veterans Are Targets in the Disinformation War, Even if They Don’t Know It Yet

September 1, 2022
Over the past several years, disinformation, or the intentional deployment of false information for malicious ends, has emerged as a critical threat.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Russian-Disinformation-feature-web.jpg 419 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-09-01 09:13:502022-09-01 09:57:28Troops, Veterans Are Targets in the Disinformation War, Even if They Don’t Know It Yet

The Military Gave Her a Shared Sense of Purpose, but the Navy Was Not a Home

January 10, 2018
Andrea N. Goldstein lost her sense of home when she left home for college and the military. Moving to New York City, she learned to come home to herself.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/PC083189.jpg 1125 1500 Andrea N. Goldstein https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea N. Goldstein2018-01-10 19:25:282020-11-23 23:32:11The Military Gave Her a Shared Sense of Purpose, but the Navy Was Not a Home

Losing Sense Of Self One Suicide At A Time

July 27, 2016
Gerardo Mena reunites with his Marine brethren to remember another brother lost to suicide. They tell him goodbye — losing one more part of themselves, knowing it could have been one of them.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Dylon-1.jpg 750 1000 Gerardo Mena https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Gerardo Mena2016-07-27 20:24:162021-06-07 18:23:05Losing Sense Of Self One Suicide At A Time

More Than 40% of Troops Face Limited or No Access to Abortion Care, Study Shows

September 13, 2022
Even before the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, abortion care for military women was extremely limited.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IUD-web.jpg 599 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-09-13 19:14:282022-09-13 21:33:13More Than 40% of Troops Face Limited or No Access to Abortion Care, Study Shows

Learning to Breathe Through the Journey of Addiction and PTSD

July 6, 2017
Heroin allowed Jenny Pacanowski to escape her PTSD in small doses. To get sober she had to deal with her trauma head-on, or accept that she would die.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/banner.jpg 475 713 Jenny Pacanowski https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jenny Pacanowski2017-07-06 20:00:562021-11-20 01:02:58Learning to Breathe Through the Journey of Addiction and PTSD

Economic Insecurity for Military Families Predates Pandemic, Inflation

March 2, 2023
The instability of military families is an economic burden, from lack of support networks to the struggle for spouses to find work in new duty stations.
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A Fake Raid, A Fake Village, and a Sinking Track

July 29, 2020
"We’re piled on top of each other at 15, sometimes 20 at a time, in a vehicle built for 12." A Marine reflects on a narrow escape at sea.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/crowded-aav-web.jpg 1182 2100 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2020-07-29 08:21:562020-12-04 14:47:38A Fake Raid, A Fake Village, and a Sinking Track

The Quandary Of Perception Versus Reality

November 16, 2016
She refused to believe that perception was reality. She thought she could change perceptions. Tenley Lozano writes about stereotypes in the military.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/The-Quandary-Of-Perception-Versus-Reality-hero-header.jpg 800 1280 Tenley Lozano https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tenley Lozano2016-11-16 19:30:402020-11-24 00:28:33The Quandary Of Perception Versus Reality
Lyman Abbott's Order to Report Letter from the U.S. Army, 1940.

My Father Died Over 60 Years Ago. I Feel That I‘m Just Now Meeting Him

September 18, 2019
His father served in World War II and remade his life, one that a son is finally discovering.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Order-to-Report-Letter-e1568826344442.jpg 1805 2507 Larry Abbott https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Larry Abbott2019-09-18 13:03:412020-12-16 13:05:01My Father Died Over 60 Years Ago. I Feel That I‘m Just Now Meeting Him

You Don’t Know, and I Don’t Wanna Tell Ya

February 8, 2017
Civilians are always asking what war is like. Dustin Jones wonders what to tell them about his deployment, or if he even should.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/flag.jpg 1000 1500 Dustin Jones https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dustin Jones2017-02-08 21:00:332020-11-24 00:23:19You Don’t Know, and I Don’t Wanna Tell Ya
Elaine Little with two Afghan girls she met in Asadabad, Afghanistan, in 2005. Photo courtesy of the author.

“She Had Suffered Enough”–I Feel for All the Afghan People, but Especially the Women

March 23, 2022
I will never forget the women I met in Afghanistan: a local woman’s leader, a suspected terrorist unjustly imprisoned, the Afghan girls in my photo.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Elaine-with-Afghan-girls-web.jpg 514 900 Elaine Little https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Elaine Little2022-03-23 09:21:322022-03-23 09:21:32“She Had Suffered Enough”–I Feel for All the Afghan People, but Especially the Women

Rage and the Manger

December 25, 2019
Back from a deployment and triggered by the mundane, a former infantry officer discovers his unprovoked rage. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1st-PLT-Christmas-Dinner-feature.jpg 490 1389 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2019-12-25 09:00:082021-11-19 20:41:03Rage and the Manger

“Pulling the Crazy Card”—Choosing to Show Empathy for a Suicidal Sailor

September 30, 2020
Thibaut Delloue rushed a suicidal sailor to shore after he asked for help on deployment only to see his shipmate ostracized and labeled a malinger.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/rigid-hull-navy.jpg 1398 2100 Thibaut Delloue https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thibaut Delloue2020-09-30 09:32:192021-04-27 23:46:10“Pulling the Crazy Card”—Choosing to Show Empathy for a Suicidal Sailor

She Awoke to a Different World

September 11, 2017
Jenny Pacanowski burst with love of country when the planes hit, and that day awoke in her a new era of her life filled with compassion and rage.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/dsc_7487.jpg 668 1000 Jenny Pacanowski https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jenny Pacanowski2017-09-11 18:37:482020-12-16 13:15:22She Awoke to a Different World

Guns, Booze, and Suicide: How “Stupid” Saved A Life

September 21, 2016
He couldn't kill himself before tee time with his father. He put the pistol down. David Chrisinger describes a Veteran's struggle with thoughts of suicide.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/11695877_894083043997433_3208298834832289560_n.jpg 1000 1500 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2016-09-21 22:10:072021-06-07 20:32:28Guns, Booze, and Suicide: How “Stupid” Saved A Life
First Lieutenant Harry Whitlockin a HMMWV near Tallil Air Base, Iraq, March 1991.

Anger Management and the Old Man—”I’m Relieved That I Tossed It Away.”

February 5, 2020
A former medical platoon leader spent years resenting his commander, until he realized what his pent-up rage truly meant.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1LT_Harry_Whitlock_Iraq_1991_ODS-1.jpg 512 768 Harry L. Whitlock https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Harry L. Whitlock2020-02-05 10:13:112022-09-06 14:11:48Anger Management and the Old Man—”I’m Relieved That I Tossed It Away.”

After Becoming Homeless, Finding My Home and Purpose in the Marine Corps

October 25, 2017
Joy Craig's childhood was anything but stable. After graduating high school, foster care forced her out, and she was homeless. Until she enlisted.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Joy1-e1524000749114.jpg 1490 1500 Joy Craig https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joy Craig2017-10-25 21:31:362020-11-23 23:34:36After Becoming Homeless, Finding My Home and Purpose in the Marine Corps
Brett and Whitney Foley on their wedding day. Photo courtesy of the author.

The Five Essentials of Storytelling. A Survivor’s (Excerpt) Guide to Writing about Trauma

July 15, 2021
David Chrisinger teaches The War Horse’s writing seminars, the preeminent professional development program for veterans and military spouse writers.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Brett-Whitney-Foley-Wedding-Portrait-web.jpg 402 604 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2021-07-15 09:30:362021-11-19 15:23:30The Five Essentials of Storytelling. A Survivor’s (Excerpt) Guide to Writing about Trauma
A squad leader gives a radio update behind a smoke screen. Photo courtesy of the author.

“What Is There to Say?” Shared Experiences and “an Epic War-Porn Trailer”

March 3, 2021
“We heard a distinct thud and soon heard the report on the radio,” writes a veteran of Sangin, Afghanistan. “A Marine had stepped on an IED.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Smoke-web.jpg 1400 2100 Miko Yoshida https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Miko Yoshida2021-03-03 09:31:312021-04-27 20:58:52“What Is There to Say?” Shared Experiences and “an Epic War-Porn Trailer”
Can the Pentagon Lead the Tech Sector Again?

Can the Pentagon Lead the Tech Sector Again?

April 30, 2020
Silicon Valley was built on defense dollars, but bureaucracy and a rise of Big Tech and startups have left the U.S. military behind in defense acquisitions.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2100-700-pentagon.jpg 700 2100 Thomas Day https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas Day2020-04-30 09:31:152020-12-04 17:54:24Can the Pentagon Lead the Tech Sector Again?

One Marine’s Struggle to Find Purpose After Military Service

November 1, 2017
Nearly two years after separating from the Marine Corps, Nathan Eckman struggles to define "service" and understand how to serve as a civilian.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/nate1.jpg 1061 1500 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2017-11-01 18:37:022020-12-16 13:08:07One Marine’s Struggle to Find Purpose After Military Service
Taneika Duhaney, center, underway on the USS Laboon, where a senior chief would set a standard that has stayed with Duhaney for more than 24 years. Photo courtesy of the author.

She Never Told Me Why She Took Me Under Her Wing, But I Would Have Been Lost Without Her

March 8, 2023
Mama Wherry kept me grounded. I credit her mentorship for creating the solid foundation upon which I built my career and how I lead and mentor sailors. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/underway-1000x474-1.jpg 474 1000 Taneika Duhaney https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Taneika Duhaney2023-03-08 09:20:312023-03-08 09:20:31She Never Told Me Why She Took Me Under Her Wing, But I Would Have Been Lost Without Her

The Two Hundred and Fiftieth—a Military Spouse Loses a Student to Gun Violence

August 21, 2019
Joanna Guldin-Noll, a fellow of the War Horse's 2018 Writing Seminar for Military Spouses, reflects on losing a student to gun violence as a former teacher.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/English-class-1-e1566397829759.jpg 467 719 Joanna Guldin-Noll https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joanna Guldin-Noll2019-08-21 10:28:342020-11-23 20:55:23The Two Hundred and Fiftieth—a Military Spouse Loses a Student to Gun Violence

Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 1

September 11, 2018
Drew Pham writes about his experiences going to war as a migrant after September 11th in this four part series for The War House. This is 1 of 4.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/letters-to-my-country-part-1.jpg 526 1407 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2018-09-11 13:25:002020-12-16 12:59:48Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 1

“Quietly Heroic”—Journalist Returns to Ukraine with American Veterans to Help Her People

July 14, 2022
There’s a long legacy of women fighting in wars, and they’re always welcome behind the scope of a rifle pointing at Russian invaders.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/IyrnaEuromaidanblog-feature-2.jpg 622 1716 Jennifer Orth-Veillon https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jennifer Orth-Veillon2022-07-14 09:21:112022-07-14 11:54:57“Quietly Heroic”—Journalist Returns to Ukraine with American Veterans to Help Her People

The Son of Refugees Reflects on How to Lose a U.S-led War

July 25, 2018
Drew Pham saw his refugee parents in Afghan civilians. Compassion, he thought, was the answer. But a part of his soul hardened as he learned to love war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Apatrolof10thMountainDivisionsoldiersWardakAfghanistan.jpg 610 1200 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2018-07-25 15:52:312020-11-23 22:38:06The Son of Refugees Reflects on How to Lose a U.S-led War

“My Eyes Welled up”—When the Purple Heart Weighs Heavy

October 18, 2017
Elizabeth O'Herrin handed the groggy patient his Purple Heart. Immediately, she worried she'd made a mistake, giving it to him so soon after his amputation.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/991070.jpg 1007 1500 Liz O'Herrin Lee https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liz O'Herrin Lee2017-10-18 20:58:532020-12-04 15:04:40“My Eyes Welled up”—When the Purple Heart Weighs Heavy

“Big Bombs. Boom.”—a Pistol, the Smart Girl, and a Tragedy

August 1, 2018
Michael Carson talked philosophy and tragedy in a Mosul coffee shop. Back in the U.S. he’s still asking questions for which there are no answers.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/so-we-are-famous.jpg 916 1804 Michael Carson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael Carson2018-08-01 15:56:182020-12-04 15:32:32“Big Bombs. Boom.”—a Pistol, the Smart Girl, and a Tragedy
James Donzella worked, for a while, as a colonel’s driver in Pleiku, Vietnam. Photo courtesy of the author.

Pedal to the Metal in a White-Knuckled Race Against Time

June 15, 2022
As I brought the jeep to a screeching halt in front of the terminal entrance, I noticed the colonel’s face had drained of color.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/jeep-2-web.jpg 1066 1398 James Donzella https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png James Donzella2022-06-15 09:12:082022-06-15 09:12:08Pedal to the Metal in a White-Knuckled Race Against Time
Marine Corps Sgt. David E. Martin assists a veteran during his visit to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in 2014. Photo by Sgt. Alvin Williams Jr., courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Climate Change Makes Things Harder for Unhoused Veterans

November 10, 2022
Unhoused Veterans Provide a Mini View of How Climate Change Affects Homelessness
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Arlington-feature-1.jpg 741 1600 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-11-10 09:43:482022-11-10 09:43:48Climate Change Makes Things Harder for Unhoused Veterans
Sgt. Josh Wilkinson, a military police soldier with the 29th Military Police Company, Maryland Army National Guard, conducts a simulated shoplifting search during a Joint Multinational Readiness Center exercise rotation in Hohenfels, Germany, on Nov. 2. The soldiers are preparing to deploy to Kosovo. Photo by Sgt. Zachary M. Zippe, courtesy of the U.S. Army National Guard.

“Everybody We Deal With Is Trained to Kill”—Why Don’t We See Widespread Police Brutality in the Military?

November 6, 2020
Police brutality on military bases is rare but reports show that veterans are 2.9 times more likely to fire their weapons than civilian law enforcement.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/6410714-web.jpg 600 900 Andrea Scott https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea Scott2020-11-06 09:30:022021-04-27 23:07:33“Everybody We Deal With Is Trained to Kill”—Why Don’t We See Widespread Police Brutality in the Military?

Trapped in the Amber of this Moment

September 11, 2016
David Chrisinger felt the urge to serve his country in the Marines during the Iraq War. He reflects on his choices on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TheFall50.jpg 640 960 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2016-09-11 20:21:402021-06-07 19:41:02Trapped in the Amber of this Moment

His Torch Beckoned Like a Searchlight

February 22, 2017
Ryan Mallek jumped at every chance to leave the wire. One night during a welding assignment in Fallujah changed that.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_0363.jpg 453 604 Ryan Mallek https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ryan Mallek2017-02-22 19:02:472020-12-04 18:02:58His Torch Beckoned Like a Searchlight

In The Absence Of Trust And Confidence

November 30, 2016
He lost respect, trust, and confidence in his Marine leaders. William Gehrung describes the misdiagnoses and maltreatment of injuries in the military.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/blob2.png 600 800 William Gehrung https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png William Gehrung2016-11-30 19:37:282020-12-04 18:06:11In The Absence Of Trust And Confidence

After 30 Years and Four Wars, One Explosion Opened the Floodgates

June 14, 2017
"Colonels don't bleed," John Sims' friend said before Sims deployed to Afghanistan. Shortly after, a suicide car bomber blew up the first SUV in Sims' convoy.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/img-5.jpg 708 500 John Sims https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png John Sims2017-06-14 15:18:002020-12-04 17:43:12After 30 Years and Four Wars, One Explosion Opened the Floodgates

Opening The Window And Making Love To The World

September 11, 2016
Adrian Bonenberger served as an Army infantry officer in Afghanistan. He draws parallels between his own service in Afghanistan and wars of yesteryear - the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm.
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A B-52 bomber takes off from Andersen Air Force Base in support of Linebacker II, the “Christmas bombings.” Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

Banana Meringue Pie, Smokey Robinson, and the Christmas Bombings of 1972

December 14, 2022
When a deafening roar woke me on the morning of Dec. 18, 1972, I raced outside and watched in awe as wave after wave of KC-135s headed off the island.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/bomber-web-1.jpg 654 1000 David Nelson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Nelson2022-12-14 09:39:572022-12-14 09:39:57Banana Meringue Pie, Smokey Robinson, and the Christmas Bombings of 1972

When I Think About Losing My Son

April 17, 2019
David Chrisinger found the words to express a devastating personal loss after teaching a military veteran how to write about her own feelings of sadness and uncertainty.
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Brandon Alt, right, was one of at least six Marines and Navy corpsmen who deployed from Camp Pendleton, California, to Afghanistan in 2010 who later developed seizures or seizure-like episodes. Photo courtesy of Brandon Alt.

Mystery Seizures Haunt Marine Units a Decade after Deployment

September 29, 2020
Seizures among veterans are surging. Some blame PTS and TBI. Others blame toxic exposures.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Brandon-Alt-809x606-web.jpg 606 809 Amanda Miller https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Amanda Miller2020-09-29 09:53:092023-02-09 09:54:37Mystery Seizures Haunt Marine Units a Decade after Deployment
Trainees check their cell phones and update family members at the Solomon Center on Fort Jackson in 2017. Photo by Robert Timmons, courtesy of the U.S. Army.

All Warfare Is Based on Deception—Troops, Vets Targeted by Disinformation Can Fight Back

September 8, 2022
While the military is targeted by disinformation campaigns, its experience also positions service members to lead the way to fight back against them.
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The Suicide Bombing of December 21 and What Came After

December 11, 2019
A reporter’s journey through war, trauma and healing
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/MOSUL-IRAQ-DH1.jpg 1632 2464 Jeremy Redmon https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jeremy Redmon2019-12-11 09:55:112021-11-19 20:44:01The Suicide Bombing of December 21 and What Came After
Master Sgt. Michael Riggenbach, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the 910th Airlift Wing safety office, watches a recorded video of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III addressing the issue of extremist ideology within the military during a base-wide pause in training on May 1, 2021, in the 910th Airlift Wing headquarters building, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio. Department of Defense policy expressly prohibits military personnel from actively advocating for or participating in supremacist, extremist, or criminal gang doctrine, ideology or causes. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Gross, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

Congress Urges DoD, VA to Defend Troops and Veterans Against Extremists Who Want to Recruit Them

October 27, 2022
Military service and transitioning to civilian life include stressors that make some veterans vulnerable to recruitment tactics used by extremist groups. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/secdef-extremism-web.jpg 600 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-10-27 09:34:192022-10-27 09:34:19Congress Urges DoD, VA to Defend Troops and Veterans Against Extremists Who Want to Recruit Them

An Attack From Within: Male Marines Ambush Women In Uniform

March 4, 2017
The Defense Department is investigating the orchestrated stalking and the deliberate collection, and distribution of photographs of active duty and veteran women. Dozens of victims were identified by their name, rank, and duty station. Our exclusive investigation.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TimotejNagy-1200x550.jpg 550 1200 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2017-03-04 16:33:142021-11-20 01:11:43An Attack From Within: Male Marines Ambush Women In Uniform

As Afghan War Nears its End, a Marine’s Guilt Intensifies

May 19, 2021
“My mind won’t let go,” writes a Marine veteran of Afghanistan. “The farther I get from those days, the heavier my guilt.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/patrol-web.jpg 1243 2048 Russell Hellyer https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Russell Hellyer2021-05-19 07:29:392021-11-19 17:07:15As Afghan War Nears its End, a Marine’s Guilt Intensifies

A Marine Officer Visits a Helicopter Crash Site. Nepal Tried to Claim Her Too.

April 4, 2018
Two years after a helicopter carrying Marines crashed in the Nepali mountains, Marine veteran Teresa Fazio encountered the wilderness that had claimed them.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Teresa-on-trail-hero.jpg 801 1200 Teresa Fazio https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Teresa Fazio2018-04-04 09:00:132020-12-04 17:40:36A Marine Officer Visits a Helicopter Crash Site. Nepal Tried to Claim Her Too.

Zero Tolerance: The Defense Department’s Decades-Long Failure To End Sex Crimes In Uniform

April 11, 2018
Scandal after scandal, sexual predators in the military continue to harass and assault with impunity. Military brass pay lip service to eradicating the problem. Explore how the Defense Department has skirted accountability for nearly 40 years.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/600x375_q75.jpg 375 600 Andrea Januta https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea Januta2018-04-11 20:43:582022-07-28 10:47:33Zero Tolerance: The Defense Department’s Decades-Long Failure To End Sex Crimes In Uniform
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, overlook a range before squad rehearsals during Exercise Sea Breeze 21 in Ukraine in July. Exercise Sea Breeze is an annual event that brings together military units from several countries to enhance war-fighting capabilities and build strong relationships. Photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Parsons, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

I Don’t Want to Banter or Intellectualize About Ukraine’s Future. I Want to Help.

April 27, 2022
Part of me wonders about scenarios being crafted now for future military students, how Russian tactics are being updated based on the invasion of Ukraine.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ukraine-web.jpg 600 900 Nina Semczuk https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nina Semczuk2022-04-27 09:20:362022-04-27 09:29:01I Don’t Want to Banter or Intellectualize About Ukraine’s Future. I Want to Help.
U.S. Army veteran Tom Bomke takes a selfie with Jon Stewart at the DoD Warrior Games opening ceremony, June 22, 2019, at Amalie Arena in Tampa during the Department of Defense Warrior Games. Photo by Spec. Seara Marcsis, courtesy of the U.S. Army.

“We’re Better Than This”—Jon Stewart, Veterans Advocates Rally for Bipartisan Burn Pit Legislation

November 3, 2020
Burn pits have poisoned service members for years. Policy is lacking and defense contractors are not liable for decisions that might harm soldiers at war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Jon-Stewart-and-John-Feal-selfie.jpg 1400 2100 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2020-11-03 10:55:312023-02-09 09:59:36“We’re Better Than This”—Jon Stewart, Veterans Advocates Rally for Bipartisan Burn Pit Legislation
Thae Ohu stands on a railroad track during Dec. 2018. Courtesy of Michael Hinesley.Courtesy of Michael Hinesley.

Gag Order: How Marine Corps Culture Silenced a Victim of Sexual Assault

December 1, 2020
A rape victim asked the military for help. Then her fellow Marines turned against her. Now she’s battling mental illness and an attempted murder charge.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/banner-image-2-scaled.jpg 1131 2560 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2020-12-01 10:00:492021-04-27 22:42:05Gag Order: How Marine Corps Culture Silenced a Victim of Sexual Assault

Gulf War Illness Treatments Discovered. Will Veterans Affairs Officials Listen Now?

April 8, 2021
“That’s what made them sick.” Scientists say toxic exposures and anti-nerve agent pills, paired with DEET, poisoned veterans during the Gulf War.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MOPP-feature.jpg 550 1224 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2021-04-08 08:32:212021-11-19 17:22:42Gulf War Illness Treatments Discovered. Will Veterans Affairs Officials Listen Now?

Echoes Project: Javier Ortiz Rivera

June 1, 2016
After she heard that her husband had died, Veronica remembers screaming for the Marines and chaplain to leave, but they wouldn’t.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/20160416-MattEich-0792.jpg 667 1000 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2016-06-01 21:38:582021-06-07 17:19:56Echoes Project: Javier Ortiz Rivera
Family, friends, and loved ones visit gravesites in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, on Memorial Day in 2019. Every year over Memorial Day weekend, more than 142,000 visitors come to Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by Elizabeth Fraser, courtesy of the U.S. Army.

I Have a Future Because of Those at Arlington, Where the Ground Is Sown With Tears

May 25, 2022
They rest together, these disparate generations, due to a lack of available space: Arlington is running out of it.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Memorial-day-feature-web.jpg 1034 1900 Ivan F. Ingraham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ivan F. Ingraham2022-05-25 08:42:392022-05-25 08:42:39I Have a Future Because of Those at Arlington, Where the Ground Is Sown With Tears

They Were Supposed to be Fighting a War. Instead They Picked Up Gravel

June 7, 2017
When their tent filled with clumps of mud during the rainy season, Dustin Jones' unit found a solution. But some jobs are too absurd to be taken seriously.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/img-11.jpg 500 750 Dustin Jones https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dustin Jones2017-06-07 14:21:002020-11-24 00:12:06They Were Supposed to be Fighting a War. Instead They Picked Up Gravel

Less Than a Year After 9/11, She Fell in Love With a Marine

August 11, 2017
Liesel Kershul and her now-husband had been together only a few months when he was ordered to deploy. In their 15 years together, they've known only war.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LieselandTom2007.jpg 453 604 Liesel Kershul https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liesel Kershul2017-08-11 20:10:402020-12-16 12:58:59Less Than a Year After 9/11, She Fell in Love With a Marine

“The Distance Between You Grows”—the Many Difficult Truths of Military Family Homecomings

February 10, 2021
Back-to-back deployments and explosions were “a recipe for disaster,” writes a military spouse. “For my family, reintegration lasted years.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/White-Coat-Kiss-web-banner.jpg 362 640 Jenny Lynne Stroup https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jenny Lynne Stroup2021-02-10 08:35:552021-04-27 21:17:12“The Distance Between You Grows”—the Many Difficult Truths of Military Family Homecomings

Ignore The Awful Times, And Concentrate On The Good Ones

September 11, 2016
Michael Penney ran through the halls of his high school when 9/11 first happened. On the tenth anniversary he ran through fields and canals in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Afghan.-over-watch-michaelJ.Penney.jpg 540 720 Michael Penney https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael Penney2016-09-11 19:23:152021-06-07 19:15:36Ignore The Awful Times, And Concentrate On The Good Ones
Petty Officer 2nd Class Zach Bernat, an aviation ordnanceman, demonstrates proper handling and safety procedures of the M240B machine gun before sailors qualify to operate the weapon during a gun shoot in 2010. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Rebekah Adler.

They Are the Good Guys With Guns. After Another Mass Shooting, Veterans Want Change.

June 2, 2022
On most military bases, service members aren’t allowed to carry weapons. “We don’t just have guys walk around posts with guns—because it’s stupid.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Wasp-web.jpg 598 900 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2022-06-02 09:51:072022-06-02 09:51:07They Are the Good Guys With Guns. After Another Mass Shooting, Veterans Want Change.

Echoes Project: A World and a Lifetime Ago

April 23, 2018
The explosion woke Second Lt. Jason Blydell, and he jumped off his cot as his patrol base shook violently. The radio crackled: “Stand by, casualty report... We have one urgent surgical.” Then silence.
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“I Drew the Line at Lying to Reporters”—a Military Spokesman Calls for Increased Accountability and Transparency

April 28, 2021
“These issues will continue to plague our military if both uniformed and civilian leadership don’t stand up” and demand “real accountability.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/author-with-marines-from-his-section-web-2.jpg 700 1920 Paul Gainey https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Paul Gainey2021-04-28 09:00:262021-11-19 17:20:21“I Drew the Line at Lying to Reporters”—a Military Spokesman Calls for Increased Accountability and Transparency
The Virginia Air National Guard’s Virginia Beach-based 203rd Red Horse Squadron holds a memorial service March 3, 2014, at Camp Pendleton to honor 18 unit members and three Florida Army Guard aviators killed on that day in 2001 when the C-23 Sherpa they were flying in crashed in a cotton field near Unadilla, Georgia. The 203rd members were returning home after completing a two-week military construction project at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, courtesy of the Virginia National Guard.

We All Have Stories. After All, We Didn’t Just Watch History, We Made It.

November 9, 2022
Inspiration abounds, and in uniform, it is everywhere, every day, because every day we do things of consequence for our nation.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/memorial-feature.jpg 900 1600 Dan Woodward https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dan Woodward2022-11-09 09:28:322022-11-09 09:28:32We All Have Stories. After All, We Didn’t Just Watch History, We Made It.

Shedding the Shame of Being Called a Military “Dependa”

August 29, 2018
Liesel Kershul faced crushing shame feeling that being a military spouse has kept her from fulfilling her potential. After 15 years, she’s found peace.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/shedding-the-shame.jpg 610 1200 Liesel Kershul https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liesel Kershul2018-08-29 13:11:332020-12-16 13:33:49Shedding the Shame of Being Called a Military “Dependa”

“Like Iron-Filled Tears”—My First Time Seeing a Dead Body in a Combat Zone

June 27, 2018
He bore his son’s body to the Americans’ base and let the blood drip and congeal on the wooden deck. And then he left, and left the blood behind.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/as-iron-filled-tears.jpg 609 1200 Jackie Munn https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jackie Munn2018-06-27 15:35:302020-12-04 14:26:57“Like Iron-Filled Tears”—My First Time Seeing a Dead Body in a Combat Zone

Officials Scramble to Punish Marines Responsible for Nude Photo Scandal

April 16, 2017
This piece originally appeared on Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/AP_17073553368300-591x440.jpg 440 591 Anna Hiatt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anna Hiatt2017-04-16 15:28:352020-12-16 13:07:23Officials Scramble to Punish Marines Responsible for Nude Photo Scandal

“My Creativity Was Paralyzed”—Baggage and the Bridge of Empathy

June 19, 2019
Can artwork depicting the Syrian refugee crisis build empathy for an American audience? One writer hopes so.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hafez-Studio-II.jpg 1195 1000 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2019-06-19 09:00:452020-12-04 17:36:00“My Creativity Was Paralyzed”—Baggage and the Bridge of Empathy

A Coast Guard Officer Runs Home After A Marathon Of Funerals

May 23, 2018
Sarah Holzhalb endured a marathon of funerals shortly after separating from the Coast Guard. All these years later, the month of March still sucks.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CoachandI_OCSparty-hero-large.jpg 900 1200 Sarah Holzhalb https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sarah Holzhalb2018-05-23 15:13:022020-12-04 17:37:56A Coast Guard Officer Runs Home After A Marathon Of Funerals
Members from the 15th Medical Group host an open house for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, in 2018. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Heather Redman, courtesy U.S. Air Force.

“The Enemy Is Lurking in Our Bodies”—Women Veterans Say Toxic Exposure Caused Breast Cancer

October 14, 2021
As the last troops leave the “forever wars,” doctors say they’re seeing more women veterans with breast cancer—younger than the national average.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Breast-cancer-awareness-web.jpg 758 960 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2021-10-14 08:51:532021-11-18 21:57:00“The Enemy Is Lurking in Our Bodies”—Women Veterans Say Toxic Exposure Caused Breast Cancer
Ted Englemann spent Thanksgiving 2008 with soldiers in Iraq. Photo courtesy of the author.

Nobody Leaves War Emotionally Healthy. The Path to Recovery Is Unique to Each Person.

November 15, 2022
Traveling to Iraq left me with a continued understanding of wartime trauma but not why some people’s paths end in suicide.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Thanksgiving-meal.jpeg 427 640 Ted Engelmann https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ted Engelmann2022-11-15 11:04:202022-11-17 14:53:49Nobody Leaves War Emotionally Healthy. The Path to Recovery Is Unique to Each Person.

Learning the Power of Connection and Companionship

February 7, 2018
David Chrisinger grapples with his guilt about not having served and draws on his own experience of feeling powerless to connect with a friend who did.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/BrettandDavidafteraTrainingRun-1.jpg 578 1200 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2018-02-07 20:59:202020-12-16 12:57:55Learning the Power of Connection and Companionship
Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Clanin and a platoon sergeant with Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, lead their soldiers on a patrol through the Jamila neighborhood of Sadr City in 2008. Photo by Sgt. Michael Pryor, courtesy of the U.S. Army.

Hellfires and “Half-Smashed Bugs” in Sadr City

July 1, 2020
As a platoon searched for bombs, the enemy tried to attack them. It didn’t end well.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Hellfire-1-2100x1050-1.jpg 1050 2100 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2020-07-01 09:35:222021-11-19 17:40:16Hellfires and “Half-Smashed Bugs” in Sadr City
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Charles Dane adds weight to the bar during a 2018 Defense Department Warrior Games powerlifting practice at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dane was medically retired from the military after a 19-year career. Photo by Cpl. Juan Madrigal, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Your Kidneys Are Failing and Your Doctor Has Just Deployed. Now What?

July 9, 2020
An overhaul of the Army, Air Force, and Navy’s medical services doesn’t appear to be going to plan, with 10 kidney transplant recipients left in the lurch.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Kidney2-900-600.jpg 600 900 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2020-07-09 09:30:332020-11-23 16:15:26Your Kidneys Are Failing and Your Doctor Has Just Deployed. Now What?

When “Be Strong” Is Bad Advice for Military Spouses

June 3, 2020
A military spouse wants to redefine what having strength looks like.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/FullGallery104-high-3.jpg 600 2000 Jenna Levin https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jenna Levin2020-06-03 09:40:112020-11-23 16:31:39When “Be Strong” Is Bad Advice for Military Spouses

Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 4

September 14, 2018
Drew Pham writes about his experiences going to war as a migrant after September 11th in this four part series for The War House. This is 4 of 4.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/AplatoonofAfghanArmysoldierswithdrawsasAmericanaircraftbombtheAlasangGharMountains.jpg 1405 1390 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2018-09-14 13:21:382020-12-16 13:00:04Letters To My Country That She Will Never Read, Part 4

The Grieving for Afghanistan Must be Done as a Community

August 24, 2021
Like an aircraft struggling to move the weight of two decades’…
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/attack-web.jpg 1400 2100 E.M. Liddick https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png E.M. Liddick2021-08-24 09:07:572021-11-19 02:44:12The Grieving for Afghanistan Must be Done as a Community

Echoes Project: The Homecoming

April 23, 2018
Veronica didn’t want to be at the airport when the Marines returned home from Afghanistan in April 2011.
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She Found Solace in Art and Artifacts During War, and When She Came Home.

July 26, 2017
Lyndsey Anderson uses the lessons she learned as a young woman at war to connect through art and mentorship with civilians both young and old.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/anderson-vav-3-1.jpg 1000 1500 Jack Crosbie https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jack Crosbie2017-07-26 19:04:412021-11-20 00:48:30She Found Solace in Art and Artifacts During War, and When She Came Home.

Time Stood Still That Morning on Parris Island

September 11, 2017
Joy Craig walked into the base's coffee shop and found people huddled around the TV. Then the second plane hit.
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Talking With a 9/11 Witness Helped Him Connect With History

September 11, 2017
David Chrisinger wondered if he was intruding on sacred ground when he visited the museum at Ground Zero. A conversation with a witness changed that.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/download-39.jpeg 1280 1280 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2017-09-11 18:42:442020-11-23 23:45:23Talking With a 9/11 Witness Helped Him Connect With History
Brian Thompson laughs near local children while on patrol in Afghanistan in 2007. Photo courtesy of the author.

Movies Don’t Prepare You for What Happens When the Action Dies Down

January 12, 2022
This is the part that movies didn’t prepare me for. Sometimes, that memory comes up unexpectedly, like when I see a group of kids running.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Thompson.Afg-web.jpg 1008 1800 Brian Thompson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Brian Thompson2022-01-12 09:26:122022-01-12 09:26:12Movies Don’t Prepare You for What Happens When the Action Dies Down

“A Crisis of Confidence”—After Decades of Failures, VA Sec  Seeks “Game-changers”

February 3, 2022
“I’m not asking anybody to believe me on anything,” the VA secretary says. “I’m saying I’m here to be held accountable.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/McDonough-2-900x600-web-1.jpg 599 900 Kelly Kennedy https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly Kennedy2022-02-03 09:05:392022-02-04 09:37:25“A Crisis of Confidence”—After Decades of Failures, VA Sec  Seeks “Game-changers”

His Closest Brush With Combat Was a Dramatic Helicopter Landing

August 30, 2017
Sam Gisselman's prided himself on his marksmanship and wanted to see what he was capable of doing during combat. But he was never chosen for combat patrol.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LastRide.jpg 720 960 Sam Gisselman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sam Gisselman2017-08-30 22:24:542020-12-04 18:02:40His Closest Brush With Combat Was a Dramatic Helicopter Landing
Jessica Morse and her husband at a deployment homecoming in 2013 at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico. Photo courtesy of the author.

‘Murphy’s Law of Deployment:’ What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong. But I Am Brave Enough.

December 6, 2022
Fifteen years later, I no longer cry in bathrooms, but I do follow the terrified-looking new spouses in to reassure them they are brave enough.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Homecoming-morse-web.jpg 753 1175 Jessica D. Morse https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jessica D. Morse2022-12-06 15:55:242022-12-07 09:26:02‘Murphy’s Law of Deployment:’ What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong. But I Am Brave Enough.
Tom Smoot upgrades HMMWV GPS transceivers in Iraq’s Diyala Province in December 2006. Photo courtesy of the author.

Excuses and a Recurring Nightmare, Brought to an End by Medals and Heroism

July 7, 2021
Six months after a soldier returned from Iraq, his nightmares of being shot ended after he heard that others were wounded and killed in the same alley.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/OIFhmmwv-web.jpg 402 604 Tom Smoot https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tom Smoot2021-07-07 08:59:582021-11-19 16:06:51Excuses and a Recurring Nightmare, Brought to an End by Medals and Heroism

Armed Only With Colored Flags, He and His Fellow Marines Combed the Wreckage Site

August 9, 2017
When two aircraft collided in midair above North Carolina, Adam Stone and dozens of fellow Marines were tasked with identifying bits of the wreckage, including their brothers.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/hero-header.jpg 680 1300 Adam Stone https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Adam Stone2017-08-09 16:39:422020-12-04 17:48:26Armed Only With Colored Flags, He and His Fellow Marines Combed the Wreckage Site
Sailors hand out food to local families during a community relations event at a Salvation Army site in Philadelphia in 2019. Community relations events could help lessen the military-civilian divide.

Are Service Members Heroes, Victims, or Villains? You decide.

July 14, 2021
“My West Point siblings are neither convenient scapegoats nor two-dimensional nerd-warriors. They are first and foremost my siblings.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Community-relations-web.jpg 1402 2100 Joel Cuthbertson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joel Cuthbertson2021-07-14 08:44:592021-11-19 16:02:57Are Service Members Heroes, Victims, or Villains? You decide.

He Craved Normalcy, But He Could Think Only of Getting Back to War

August 23, 2017
As a veteran, Drew Pham understands craving both normalcy and war, but as his kid brother struggles with the same push and pull, Drew feels lost to help.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSCF5166.jpg 1000 1500 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2017-08-23 22:14:062020-12-04 18:02:12He Craved Normalcy, But He Could Think Only of Getting Back to War
Airman 1st Class Mary Amstead, 23rd Wing judge advocate general law paralegal, poses with an assortment of alcohol bottles at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Illustration by Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

No One Promised Tomorrow so We Lived for Today. But Before Victory Came, I Flamed Out.

August 10, 2022
Another day of training in the books—and another night spent letting loose the inner beast.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Drinking-web.jpg 599 900 Tom Wyatt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tom Wyatt2022-08-10 07:58:252022-08-10 07:58:25No One Promised Tomorrow so We Lived for Today. But Before Victory Came, I Flamed Out.
Members of the 82nd Airborne head into Iraq on Feb. 24, 1991. Photo courtesy of the author.

Stolen Valor Is So Grubby—Stolen for What? To Impress Who?

November 10, 2021
Why would he need to claim even my tiny war? That insignificant skirmish? He’d already claimed a Purple Heart—did he need Grenada? Panama?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/members-of-82nd-airborne-head-into-iraq-feb-24-1991.jpg 543 900 Nathan Webster https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nathan Webster2021-11-10 09:16:122021-11-18 21:27:56Stolen Valor Is So Grubby—Stolen for What? To Impress Who?

Really I’m OK

September 11, 2016
Thomas Brennan reflects on what selfless service at Ground Zero and an endless war against ideals has taught him—and how it's come to be that a new generation fights the same war that began 15 years ago.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/11175050_10153234609530139_4436228247362948602_n.jpg 540 720 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2016-09-11 17:55:502022-06-28 07:22:45Really I’m OK
The 2018 NORAD Tracks Santa Operation Center at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, on Christmas Eve. Photo by Staff Sgt. Alexandra M. Longfellow, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

‘Faster Than Starlight’—How Troops Track Santa’s Trek Across the Globe

December 22, 2022
How does Santa do it? A lot of it is classified, but Santa most likely operates within his own space-time continuum.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/NORAD-group-feature-1600x680-1.jpg 680 1600 Kristin Davis https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kristin Davis2022-12-22 09:09:322022-12-22 09:09:32‘Faster Than Starlight’—How Troops Track Santa’s Trek Across the Globe

Unclear All-clear And A Requisite For Air

June 13, 2018
One night stuck in a shipping container during an air raid drill is enough to make anyone claustrophobic. Problem is, Yvette Pino already was.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/unclear-all.jpg 609 1200 Yvette Pino https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Yvette Pino2018-06-13 15:27:302020-11-23 23:05:27Unclear All-clear And A Requisite For Air

“He Tried to Kill Me in His Sleep”—a Military Spouse Learns How Gridlock Gets You Killed

May 16, 2018
As traffic slowed to a stop and the color drained from his face, Liesel Kershul began to see that Tom had changed. Then he tried to kill her in his sleep.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tom-monkeyv2.jpg 610 1200 Liesel Kershul https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liesel Kershul2018-05-16 15:21:152020-12-04 14:58:54“He Tried to Kill Me in His Sleep”—a Military Spouse Learns How Gridlock Gets You Killed

An Early Morning Helicopter Crash and a Lost Feeling of Invincibility

May 26, 2021
“You may have noticed that only one of the birds came back last night. Sometime in the early hours of the morning, there was a crash. Everybody is gone.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Marines-transported-web.jpg 1400 2100 Brian Dykeman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Brian Dykeman2021-05-26 08:11:042021-11-19 16:45:41An Early Morning Helicopter Crash and a Lost Feeling of Invincibility

Two Guys to a Bag, One Bag at a Time. We Each Became Experts in a Macabre Parade.

October 12, 2022
I wondered whether the lighter bags held small soldiers or only body parts. I kept no count of the work. I still don’t know how many we carried.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Ed-in-Vietnam-feature.jpg 639 1200 Ed Meagher https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ed Meagher2022-10-12 08:51:282022-10-14 09:11:52Two Guys to a Bag, One Bag at a Time. We Each Became Experts in a Macabre Parade.

Point of Impact: An Untold Story of Escape From the Pentagon on 9/11 and the Forever Wars That Followed

September 8, 2021
When Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, the Marine Corps and Defense Department prepared for war. Two decades later, this is that story of service and sacrifice.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Cover-Photo-scaled.jpg 1365 2560 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2021-09-08 16:32:202021-11-19 02:28:26Point of Impact: An Untold Story of Escape From the Pentagon on 9/11 and the Forever Wars That Followed

I’ve Never Looked More Dignified on a Hike

March 26, 2019
After Sweden enacted gender-neutral conscription in early 2018, Teresa Fazio traveled there to ask how it works and what the U.S. can learn.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/COLOR-EDIT-Hike-ready.jpg 1333 2000 Teresa Fazio https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Teresa Fazio2019-03-26 13:00:092021-11-19 21:03:50I’ve Never Looked More Dignified on a Hike
Two Afghan boys play outside a local shura meeting in Shah Wali Kot District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of the author.

An Afghan Boy Saved Lives Helping American Soldiers. It Could Have Cost Him His.

April 6, 2022
We began to hope that Bashir was the first of many young Afghans to see the benefits of supporting the coalition and the Afghan government by extension.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Two-Boys-web.jpg 1425 1900 William Adler https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png William Adler2022-04-06 09:27:442022-04-06 09:28:50An Afghan Boy Saved Lives Helping American Soldiers. It Could Have Cost Him His.

Nothing Prepares You For War

November 2, 2016
Noah Smith witnessed the transformation of Afghan cities while serving as Army Special Forces. He learns that war economy can't stabilize like community can.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/noah1.jpg 960 1280 Noah Smith https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Noah Smith2016-11-02 14:53:172021-06-07 21:02:38Nothing Prepares You For War

Misfire. “My Friends Are Dying. And I Can’t Save Them.”

October 18, 2017
Dustin Jones misfired as Marines fell around him. Today, living stateside, he sometimes struggles to separate reality from dreams.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/failure-to-fire.jpg 417 1300 Dustin Jones https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dustin Jones2017-10-18 21:07:072020-12-16 13:03:49Misfire. “My Friends Are Dying. And I Can’t Save Them.”
Caption: The Silent Drill Platoon performs at Quantico’s Lejeune Hall. According to the Corps, the platoon “exemplifies the professionalism associated with the United States Marine Corps.” Photograph by Gunnery Sgt. Ezekiel Kitandwe

Senior Marine Corps Counsel Ridicules Sexual Assault Survivor at Court-Martial Hearing

February 4, 2021
Defense attorneys alleged unlawful command influence, that Marines denied the defendant due process. Judge described Corps’ behavior as “a step too far.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/1000w_q95-web.jpg 539 911 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2021-02-04 10:46:482021-04-27 21:26:27Senior Marine Corps Counsel Ridicules Sexual Assault Survivor at Court-Martial Hearing
An air traffic controller uses binoculars to look for birds or other hazards that can damage aircraft. Photo credit: Airman 1st Class Nathaniel Hudson

Losing “Pretty Girl” To “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

May 20, 2020
An investigation into an air traffic controller’s personal life in the era of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell felt like a rippling current of judgement.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/binoculars-1100x733-1.jpg 733 1100 Shairi Engle https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Shairi Engle2020-05-20 09:44:202021-11-19 18:00:43Losing “Pretty Girl” To “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Service, Sexuality, and Stereotypes Of A Female Veteran

September 28, 2016
Tenley Lozano, a disabled female Veteran, describes the stereotypes and daily traumas of her service - sexual harassment, chronic migraines and PTS.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/C2-EluLickingTenley.jpg 1000 1500 Tenley Lozano https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tenley Lozano2016-09-28 18:17:222021-06-07 20:36:53Service, Sexuality, and Stereotypes Of A Female Veteran

“It’s All Bullshit”: Broken Military Justice System Jeopardizes Trust and Puts Service Members at Risk

May 6, 2022
Rather than push reform, the Marine Corps closes ranks, girds up to protect a culture that is, itself, its legal system’s worst enemy.
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