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Link to: ‘Embrace the Suck’–Life as a Gold Star Child is a Race With No Finish Line

‘Embrace the Suck’–Life as a Gold Star Child is a Race With No Finish Line

I can’t accept that he’s a few feet away from me, waiting to join a sea of white stones and perfectly cut green grass. I don’t want to walk away.

BAILEY DONAHUE
Link to: ‘Embrace the Suck’–Life as a Gold Star Child is a Race With No Finish Line
Link to: ‘Embrace the Suck’–Life as a Gold Star Child is a Race With No Finish Line
Link to: ‘Embrace the Suck’–Life as a Gold Star Child is a Race With No Finish Line

‘Embrace the Suck’–Life as a Gold Star Child is a Race With No Finish Line

I can’t accept that he’s a few feet away from me, waiting to join a sea of white stones and perfectly cut green grass. I don’t want to walk away.

BAILEY DONAHUE

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Far Along on the Road That Doesn’t Come Back—Retracing the Steps of War Journalist Ernie Pyle

May 25, 2023|in Newsroom, Reflections | David Chrisinger

You just sort of exist, either standing up working or lying down asleep. There is no pleasant in-between. The velvet is all gone from the living.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Pyle-with-Sailors-1230x709-1.jpg 709 1230 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2023-05-25 09:00:392023-05-25 09:15:44Far Along on the Road That Doesn’t Come Back—Retracing the Steps of War Journalist Ernie Pyle
Air Force Col. Timothy LaBarge, right, commander of the 105th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, salutes Master Sgt. Todd Lobraico Sr., assigned to the 105th Security Forces Squadron, during burial services for his son, Staff Sgt. Todd J. “T.J.” Lobraico Jr. Lobraico was a security forces specialist with the 105th Security Forces Squadron who was killed in action outside Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on Sept. 5, 2013. Photo by Tech Sgt. Michael O’Halloran, courtesy of the Air National Guard.

The True Consequence of War Demands Generations of Profound Loss

May 23, 2023|in Reflections | Dan Woodward

In an instantaneous flash of violence, the hopes and dreams they’d woven vanished in the dirt 5,000 miles from home.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Salute-web.jpg 455 600 Dan Woodward https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dan Woodward2023-05-23 11:32:152023-05-24 09:04:50The True Consequence of War Demands Generations of Profound Loss

‘Please Come and Apply’—The PACT Act Is the Largest Expansion of Veteran Benefits in Decades

May 18, 2023|in Newsroom | Ishan Thakore

“We think that there are, roughly, a little over 6.2 million veterans who, we believe, qualify for the PACT Act,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Biden-Signs-1900x1069-1.jpg 1069 1900 Ishan Thakore https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ishan Thakore2023-05-18 09:15:162023-05-18 15:44:49‘Please Come and Apply’—The PACT Act Is the Largest Expansion of Veteran Benefits in Decades

THE LATEST

May 11, 2023

Special Forces Soldiers Reveal First Details of Battle With Russian Mercenaries in Syria

May 10, 2023

I Expected to Miss Him When He Deployed. Then There Were the Things That Snuck Up on Me.

May 3, 2023

A Chunk of My Life Was Taken From Me. You Could Say I Had a Bad Attitude.

April 26, 2023

It’s Every Young Marine’s Dream. But I Don’t Like This Story. 

April 19, 2023

‘I’ll Be Your Wingman’–I Was a Pilot. They Were My Brothers. I Can Still Feel Them.

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FROM OUR FELLOWS

“One Stinking, Terrifying Hell”—When Soldiers and Butterflies Go to War

April 18, 2018|in Reflections | Liz O'Herrin Lee

Elizabeth O’Herrin found solace in writing about her war, and she wonders and wishes she could ask her grandfather if he felt relief in writing about his.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/5.-Gainesville-early-80s.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 Lee2018-04-18 15:51:022021-11-19 22:02:36“One Stinking, Terrifying Hell”—When Soldiers and Butterflies Go to War

FROM THE ARCHIVES

YOKOSUKA, Japan (Oct. 8, 2013) Sailors assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) fight a fire during a basic shipboard firefighting course at Surface Warfare Officer School Engineering Learning Site Yokosuka. The site provides education and training in support of surface Navy requirements that prepare officer and enlisted engineers to serve at sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Abby Rader/Released)

A Sailor Signs Up to Escape Poverty, Finds Terror Instead

August 5, 2020|in Reflections | Domenique Cino

His blue shirt was not enough to hold back that much water.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Firefighting-training-2013-web.jpg 599 900 Domenique Cino https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Domenique Cino2020-08-05 08:50:222021-11-19 17:48:24A Sailor Signs Up to Escape Poverty, Finds Terror Instead

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

March 9, 2022|in Reflections | Paul Schaffner

I never fought in combat and never killed. And if I am honest with myself, I am a little bit ashamed of that.

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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|in Reflections | Sarah Colby

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

EXPLORE TOPICS

GENDER

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

September 8, 2021|in Newsroom | Thomas J. Brennan

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
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

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/IMG_4179-large.jpg 1360 2048 Janell Hanf https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Janell Hanf2020-01-15 10:00:062021-11-19 20:22:11No Really, How Are You Doing? Asking Important Questions About Military Suicide
HUMAN RIGHTS
Marines perform during a sunset parade on July 10, 2018. Photo by Lance Cpl. James Bourgeois, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

How “Sugar Daddy Deals” and a “Black Book” Deny Service Members Justice

April 7, 2022|in Newsroom | Thomas J. Brennan

“At some level, the knowledge that your system is unjust can lead units to fracture. It can directly harm readiness.”

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1000w_q95.jpg-27.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. Brennan2022-04-07 09:42:542022-07-21 12:35:13How “Sugar Daddy Deals” and a “Black Book” Deny Service Members Justice
INVESTIGATIONS
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|in Investigations | Kelly Kennedy

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?
MILITARY FAMILIES

War Horse Symposium Sheds Light on Vital Role of Military Journalism for Democracy, National Security

April 13, 2023|in Our Impact | Sonner Kehrt

“We have to connect [the military] better to society. People need to understand the service,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said.

https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Jon-Depsec-1600x737-1.jpg 737 1600 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2023-04-13 09:50:112023-04-19 16:39:35War Horse Symposium Sheds Light on Vital Role of Military Journalism for Democracy, National Security
SCIENCE & TECH
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
POLICY

Economic Insecurity for Military Families Predates Pandemic, Inflation

March 2, 2023|in Newsroom | Sonner Kehrt

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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TRENDING

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
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
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”

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
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

She Needs a Background Check and a Day Pass to Visit Her Father’s Grave, Part 1

September 19, 2018
Kelly McHugh-Stewart lost her military ID when she turned 21, and in turn, the ability to easily visit her father’s grave at Fort Leavenworth.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/visit-fathers-grave.jpg 956 1440 Kelly McHugh-Stewart https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly McHugh-Stewart2018-09-19 13:33:352020-12-16 13:32:23She Needs a Background Check and a Day Pass to Visit Her Father’s Grave, Part 1

“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

“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
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
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?

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

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?

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.
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
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
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

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

“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

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
Sarah and Mike Flores before Mike left for Iraq. Photo courtesy of the author.

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

March 1, 2023
Hunched over the table, he speaks of regrets, failures, and thoughts of suicide. It’s good that he can talk to me. He used to keep these thoughts secret.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Pre-Iraq-900x675-1.jpg 675 900 Sarah Flores https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sarah Flores2023-03-01 09:12:122023-03-01 12:12:52The War Doesn’t End. But as Long as He Keeps Fighting, I’ll Fight for Him, Too.

The Experience of Army Basic Training

May 22, 2019
How a new recruit learned what being in the Army truly meant and where he eventually found his way, sort of.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/basic-training-8.jpg 640 960 Ross Cohen https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ross Cohen2019-05-22 09:00:302020-11-23 21:13:44The Experience of Army Basic Training

Cooking Quieted Her Mind and Helped Rachael Harris Find Peace After Military Service

July 26, 2017
When she joined the Navy, Rachael Harris brought her grandfather's recipe for sour cream cornbread, but she left active duty lost and confused. Rediscovering her love for food helped her find her way home.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/WH032Z0232.jpg 667 1000 Michael Gaynor https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael Gaynor2017-07-26 18:13:552021-11-20 00:50:20Cooking Quieted Her Mind and Helped Rachael Harris Find Peace After Military Service

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

July 17, 2017
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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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.

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

“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

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
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

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
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.
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

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

Becoming A Veteran Without War

August 16, 2016
How do some veterans feel about killing? Do they want to kill? Nathan Eckman shares his story on what it means to be a veteran without the experiences of combat.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/BECOMING-A-VETERAN-WITHOUT-WAR-.jpg 1133 2000 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2016-08-16 17:47:292021-06-07 18:34:53Becoming A Veteran Without War

All Time Is All Time. It Does Not Change.

September 11, 2016
Christopher Thomas never served in the military, but the attacks on 9/11 had a lasting impact. He reflects on the lessons he hopes America has learned over the last 15 years.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1000w_q955.jpg 667 1000 Christopher Thomas https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Christopher Thomas2016-09-11 16:27:432021-06-07 18:52:36All Time Is All Time. It Does Not Change.
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”

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
Derek Nadalini played guitar as a hobby for years before handing himself over to the Global War on Terror. Photo courtesy of the author.

I See My Life in Music, So I Used It to Find My Freedom and Peace After Years of War

September 28, 2022
It was three in the morning. I was entirely alone. A long career of looking adversity in the eye and daring it to stop me didn’t prepare me for this.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Playing-Acoustic-web.jpg 601 900 Derek Nadalini https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Derek Nadalini2022-09-28 09:43:222022-09-28 09:43:22I See My Life in Music, So I Used It to Find My Freedom and Peace After Years of War
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
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

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.

My Therapy Dog’s Name Is Fern And She Taught Me Gratitude

April 11, 2018
Anxiety over the military sexual trauma she withstood plagued Rachael Harris when she came home. Her adopted dog, Fern, barreled through those walls.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Notamorninggirl.jpg 1124 1500 Rachael Harris https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Rachael Harris2018-04-11 22:18:102021-11-19 22:05:51My Therapy Dog’s Name Is Fern And She Taught Me Gratitude
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?

‘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’
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

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

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

As a West Point Cadet, I Volunteered to Be “The Hot Sauce Man”

August 22, 2018
A midnight raid on a West Point dorm in which Augusto Giacoman was armed with hot sauce prepared him for war better than West Point’s rigid rules.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/I-volunteered-to-be.jpg 610 1200 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2018-08-22 15:59:482020-12-04 17:48:42As a West Point Cadet, I Volunteered to Be “The Hot Sauce Man”

A Military Spouse Lies Awake, Praying The “Widow Maker” Will Land Safely Tonight

January 24, 2018
Liesel Kershul used to worry about her Marine pilot husband only when he deployed. Now, with flight hours down and aircraft crashes up, she worries about him when he goes to work.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LieselandTom2007-1.jpg 453 604 Liesel Kershul https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liesel Kershul2018-01-24 19:07:532020-12-04 17:41:28A Military Spouse Lies Awake, Praying The “Widow Maker” Will Land Safely Tonight

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
Marines from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, take five on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in northern Laos, in February 1969, as part of Operation Dewey Canyon. Photo courtesy of the author.

Baptism by Fire: Becoming a Marine in Practice as Well as by Name

December 22, 2021
In that instant, for the first time, I truly felt like a member of the Marine air/ground team.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Capt.-Joel-Ward-2nd-from-left-on-RT.922-Laos-web.jpg 632 900 Ronald Winter https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ronald Winter2021-12-22 09:12:202021-12-22 09:12:20Baptism by Fire: Becoming a Marine in Practice as Well as by Name
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
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
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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Scam-alert-web.jpg 506 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-08-18 09:11:332022-08-18 09:11:33Preying on Patriots—Scams More Likely to Target Troops, Vets
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.

Fate In What I Cannot Fear

September 11, 2016
Nate Eckman believed he remembered the events of 9/11 correctly. He was wrong. A teacher from his past helped him realize the flaws in his own memories.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/korea107of449.jpg 716 1500 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2016-09-11 21:21:082021-06-07 20:18:10Fate In What I Cannot Fear

“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
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Richard Carmichael with the Warfighter Exchange Service Team, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, disposes of trash at the burn pit in Forward Operating Base Zeebrudge, Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2013. Photo by Sgt. Anthony L. Ortiz, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Kelly Kennedy: Breaking the Burn Pits Story 

August 11, 2022
The day after President Biden signed the PACT Act into law, managing editor Kelly Kennedy tells us what it was like to first report on burn pits.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/burn-pit-afghanistan-2013-web.jpg 1267 1900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-08-11 09:11:262022-08-11 09:28:11Kelly Kennedy: Breaking the Burn Pits Story 
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

Thinking Brainlessly With Their Spinal Cords

September 11, 2016
Tim Patterson was attending the Naval Academy when the 9/11 attacks happened. He deployed on submarines and to Afghanistan. Now he wonders if it was all for naught.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/aerial2.jpg 1000 1500 Tim Patterson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tim Patterson2016-09-11 20:14:282021-06-07 19:32:48Thinking Brainlessly With Their Spinal Cords

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”

Rule No. 1 of U.S. Navy Submarines: Don’t Crash the Submarine

January 17, 2018
Rule #2 of Submarines: Don’t Crash the Fucking Submarine.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSC00102.jpg 864 1152 Tim Patterson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tim Patterson2018-01-17 18:10:292021-01-21 14:39:18Rule No. 1 of U.S. Navy Submarines: Don’t Crash the Submarine

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

Marine Corps Publishes, Then Deletes, Name Of First Woman Infantry Officer

October 1, 2017
Corps mistakenly outs first woman grunt, then denies multiple interview requests, citing her privacy concerns. Veterans call for transparency, celebration.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DKkcyhoX0AAw2q2.jpg 658 1024 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2017-10-01 20:44:332021-11-20 00:43:24Marine Corps Publishes, Then Deletes, Name Of First Woman Infantry Officer
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
The first AV-8B Harrier jet from Marine Attack Squadron 211 lands at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, in 2012. Lt. Col. Chris Raible, a Pittsburgh native, landed the jet. Photo by Cpl. Lisa Tourtelot, courtesy U.S. Marine Corps.

I Took the Last Picture of a Good Man

August 20, 2021
As a Marine’s Grieved in Afghanistan, She Helped Another Family Process a Loss
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/VMA-2-web.jpeg 409 900 Lisa Tourtelot https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Lisa Tourtelot2021-08-20 09:33:302021-11-19 02:51:00I Took the Last Picture of a Good Man

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
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?

How One Man Found Peace in Free Fall

February 15, 2017
BASE jumping helped Brian Donnelly release anxiety and reset during his Army career. But if he talked openly about it, he risked everything.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Picture7.jpg 540 960 Brian Donnelly https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Brian Donnelly2017-02-15 19:07:102020-12-04 18:03:49How One Man Found Peace in Free Fall
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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Two-voters-in-kirkuk-first-election-after-fall-of-saddam-hussien-purple-fingers.jpg 900 1500 Joshua Manning https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joshua Manning2020-10-28 09:29:032021-04-27 23:23:18“I Still Find Hope”—Purple Fingers, Steel Rain, and Getting “Messy” in a Combat Zone
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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Phones-web.jpg 597 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-09-08 09:26:442022-09-08 09:26:44All Warfare Is Based on Deception—Troops, Vets Targeted by Disinformation Can Fight Back

“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
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

Peacekeepers, A “Teeming Mob,” and A “New Excuse for War”

October 17, 2018
M. L. Doyle deployed to Bosnia, in 1997, two years into the NATO peacekeeping mission. Today, she reads about “widening ethnic cracks” and wonders when conflict ends.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/MARY10.jpg 1000 1253 M.L. Doyle https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png M.L. Doyle2018-10-17 13:29:522020-12-16 13:08:49Peacekeepers, A “Teeming Mob,” and A “New Excuse for 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
An ammunition specialist carries a 105 mm armor-piercing, discarding sabot round, to be used in an M1 Abrams tank, during Desert Shield. Photo by Sgt. Brain Cumper, courtesy of U.S. Army.

Fighting to Go Home: Operation Desert Storm, 30 Years Later

February 25, 2021
The Pentagon expected roughly 40% of Americans would be wounded or killed but “the Iraqi army wasn’t nearly as formidable as everyone made them out to be.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Ammunition-specialist-web.jpg 605 900 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2021-02-25 14:45:462021-04-27 21:04:19Fighting to Go Home: Operation Desert Storm, 30 Years Later

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 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

The Military Funeral—”Taps Doesn’t Harden You. It Breaks You.”

February 19, 2020
When it’s time to bury a Marine, feelings of pride and admiration can’t always supersede the other emotions that can topple everything.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/flag-folding-feature-web.jpg 585 1200 Maggie Seymour https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Maggie Seymour2020-02-19 09:58:372021-11-19 20:19:21The Military Funeral—”Taps Doesn’t Harden You. It Breaks You.”

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

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”

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

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
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”

“The Electric Hurricane”—My Panic Attacks After War Started Slowly

October 4, 2017
Peter Lucier's first panic attack came on like an electric hurricane, blowing him back years to an IED blast site in Afghanistan.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_1542.jpg 1125 1500 Peter Lucier https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Peter Lucier2017-10-04 17:21:132020-12-04 15:29:40“The Electric Hurricane”—My Panic Attacks After War Started Slowly
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.”

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

My Afghan Friend Could Be Murdered Soon

September 7, 2016
Tim Patterson is contacted by his Afghan friend, Zabi, who is in danger of being executed by the Taliban. Will Zabi and his family ever find safety?
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TRANSLATION2.png 726 583 Tim Patterson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tim Patterson2016-09-07 21:11:102021-06-07 18:41:21My Afghan Friend Could Be Murdered Soon

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
Louisiana National Guard 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Soldiers distribute food and water to citizens after Hurricane Ida, at Mahalia Jackson Theater, New Orleans, Louisiana, in September. Photo by Sgt. Renee Seruntine, courtesy U.S. Army National Guard.

“People Are Relying on Us”—National Guard Evolves to Fight Wars, Secure Homefront

October 21, 2021
"Whatever the mission—combat deployments, Covid, wildfires, civil disturbances, or severe storms—the National Guard answered every call."
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Distribute-Ida-web.jpg 600 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2021-10-21 08:55:452021-11-18 21:48:56“People Are Relying on Us”—National Guard Evolves to Fight Wars, Secure Homefront
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
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 

Care Packages a Powerful Symbol of the Military-Civilian Divide

December 16, 2020
Many care packages included notes calling troops “heroes,” and gratitude for “protecting America’s freedom.” These, to many of us, rang hollow.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/troops0-deliver-care-packages-900x600-1.jpg 600 900 Andrew James McCormick https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrew James McCormick2020-12-16 09:30:442021-04-27 22:23:46Care Packages a Powerful Symbol of the Military-Civilian Divide

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

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.

“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
Army Spc. Michael Flores visits an Iraqi souvenir vendor. Photo courtesy of the author.

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

February 21, 2023
Two months later, he thanks me for listening, for still being Doc. I took care of them over there, I can take care of them back home, I tell myself.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/vendor-2000x992-1.jpg 992 2000 Michael E. Flores https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael E. Flores2023-02-21 16:35:162023-02-22 09:19:28I Was a Shitbag. Now, I Help Carry Others Through Their Darkness.
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.

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

Me, Also. A Cobra Pilot’s Story of Military Sexual Assault

July 31, 2019
After years of silence, a Cobra pilot opens up about her fight to bring her accused rapist to justice.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Deployment-001-1-cropped-e1564581296589.jpg 1193 1814 Anne Boaden https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Anne Boaden2019-07-31 10:32:082020-12-16 13:02:40Me, Also. A Cobra Pilot’s Story of Military Sexual Assault
Naval service gave David Chetlain experiences he never could have imagined as a 17-year-old, including sliding off a submarine during a “swim call” in the Marshall Islands. Photo by Scott Reiger.

You Don’t Need to Thank Me for My Service. I Needed It More Than It Needed Me.

May 17, 2023
I went from a world of chaos, poverty, and dysfunction to one of order, discipline, and regular meals. The Navy gave me the structure and consistency I needed.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/swim-call-slide-1000x500-1.jpg 500 1000 David Chetlain https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chetlain2023-05-17 09:00:132023-05-17 08:07:33You Don’t Need to Thank Me for My Service. I Needed It More Than It Needed Me.
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.

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
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?

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MountainWarfareintheMountains.jpg 667 1000 Adrian Bonenberger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Adrian Bonenberger2016-09-11 15:35:212021-06-07 18:47:24Opening The Window And Making Love To The World

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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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.

When Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt

September 11, 2016
Following 9/11, Matthew Hefti left college to serve in the Air Force. Hefti reflects on his promises to remember and all the things he chooses to forget.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Hefti2.jpg 1125 1500 Matthew Hefti https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Matthew Hefti2016-09-11 20:45:172021-06-07 19:45:13When Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurt

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

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/12366453_1096937590324994_2273114348581622753_n.jpg 720 960 Peter Lucier https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Peter Lucier2016-07-05 14:40:162021-06-07 17:43:47My Religion Of Death And Praying To Kill

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

March 22, 2023
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?
The Department of Veterans Affairs has spent billions of dollars on mental health treatment.

The Hardest Thing I Did in the Army Wasn’t Getting Shot At. It Was Asking for Help.

January 11, 2023
The toxic culture and environment of my unit drove me to suicide as much as any rocket or drone. When I needed help, I was a bitch. A pussy. A coward.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Suicide-feature.jpg 900 1600 Cameron McMillan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Cameron McMillan2023-01-11 09:39:032023-01-11 09:39:03The Hardest Thing I Did in the Army Wasn’t Getting Shot At. It Was Asking for Help.
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
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

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.
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
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

A Military Child Learns What It Means to Be an American. By Leaving

April 21, 2021
A Military Child Learns What It Means to Be an American. By Leaving - “So, where are you from?”... I didn’t know where I was from.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Quevy-web-2.jpg 772 1280 Nathalie Grogan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nathalie Grogan2021-04-21 08:00:212022-05-25 08:46:25A Military Child Learns What It Means to Be an American. By Leaving
David Chetlain took this photo of the USS Nevada entering Kwajalein Atoll in the U.S. Marshall Islands in July 1990. Photo courtesy of the author.

The Time Machine–Nothing Prepared Me for the Distortion of Time and Space on a Submarine

December 20, 2022
Was it day or night? What day was it? In the periscope was broad daylight. No land, no birds, no ships. Nothing. I stepped back, shaken.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Kwajalein-atoll.jpg 1004 1506 David Chetlain https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chetlain2022-12-20 11:27:182022-12-21 09:58:19The Time Machine–Nothing Prepared Me for the Distortion of Time and Space on a Submarine
Stephen Caldwell hugs his father, the namesake of his newborn son, after returning home from Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of the author.

‘I Daydreamed About Being a Hero’

August 23, 2021
For years, he waited to go to Afghanistan, to use his training, to prove himself. Now he tries to define ‘why.’
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Marine-Reservist-Stephen-Caldwell-embraces-father-at-Homecoming-from-service-in-Afghanistan.jpg 517 900 Stephen Caldwell https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Stephen Caldwell2021-08-23 09:22:172021-11-19 02:47:04‘I Daydreamed About Being a Hero’
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
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

“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

Moving Again. And Again. My Experience as a Military Spouse.

July 8, 2020
It’s not easy to start over in a new place, and few people understand this better than a military spouse.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/image-1-888x444-1.jpg 444 888 Sarah Schmidt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sarah Schmidt2020-07-08 09:41:452020-12-16 13:04:17Moving Again. And Again. My Experience as a Military Spouse.

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

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.
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“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”

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AmberSanDiego.jpg 1125 1500 Liesel Kershul https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Liesel Kershul2017-07-04 20:49:062020-11-24 00:06:09When Life as a Military Spouse Got Hard, Amber Was Always There

Circumstances, Misfortunes or Fortunes

May 17, 2017
Teresa Fazio hid her beer beneath a tissue - polite women didn't drink. She received prasad, like communion, and searched for salvation amidst memories of Iraq.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/sgtudaysingh.jpg 667 1000 Teresa Fazio https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Teresa Fazio2017-05-17 18:27:472020-12-04 17:54:44Circumstances, Misfortunes or Fortunes

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
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

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

Resilient Is a Label for Military Kids That Absolves a Nation of Further Reflection

January 25, 2023
Over time I realized that resilience was not a stain-repellent. Just because you can take something doesn’t mean you should have to.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Freshman-year-high-res.jpg 453 604 Valerie Suttee https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Valerie Suttee2023-01-25 09:33:222023-01-25 09:34:11Resilient Is a Label for Military Kids That Absolves a Nation of Further Reflection

Some Journeys Home From War End With a Bullet

September 27, 2017
William Gehrung was a veteran who'd written for The War Horse. In late August 2017, he killed himself. Fellow War Horse writer Nate Eckman remembers his friend.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/some-journeys-home.jpg 679 1300 Nate Eckman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nate Eckman2017-09-27 19:25:162020-12-16 13:33:59Some Journeys Home From War End With a Bullet
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.

Twelve Marines, Dress Blues, and Triple C’s

June 14, 2018
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

Reliving Military Sexual Trauma on Her Last Day of Active Duty

July 28, 2017
Joy Craig hadn't wanted to spend her last morning of active duty reliving sexual assaults, but there she sat in the base NCIS office, talking with an agent.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Joy1-1.jpg 597 896 Joy Craig https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joy Craig2017-07-28 18:03:382020-12-16 13:12:58Reliving Military Sexual Trauma on Her Last Day of Active Duty
Sgt. Davis—“the best squad leader in the Marine Corps”—in an AAV during a field operation in 1995. Photo courtesy of the author.

I Had the Best Squad Leader in the Marine Corps. He Showed Us Kindness Is Not Weakness.

February 1, 2023
Sgt. Davis reminded me that Marines are part of something greater than themselves and that we are not alone.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Field-Op-web.jpg 773 1200 Adam Walker https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Adam Walker2023-02-01 09:17:202023-02-01 11:49:14I Had the Best Squad Leader in the Marine Corps. He Showed Us Kindness Is Not Weakness.
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

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
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
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
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

“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
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”

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

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

“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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Myunit_sTacticalOperationsCenterTOCsetup.jpg 676 1200 Nina Semczuk https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Nina Semczuk2018-03-14 20:09:042020-12-04 15:30:37“They Weren’t Supposed to Die”—Losing a Soldier to Mishap at the Army National Training Center
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

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

“I Thought You’d Be Bigger”—a Soldier and Irish Mist Adrift in the Fog of War

July 4, 2018
Brendan O’Byrne returned home from the Korengal to a chorus of civilians calling him a hero. For years he’s struggled to define that word for himself.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/irish-mist.jpg 610 1200 Brendan O 'Byrne https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Brendan O 'Byrne2018-07-04 15:41:162020-12-04 14:59:54“I Thought You’d Be Bigger”—a Soldier and Irish Mist Adrift in the Fog of War
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
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”

‘When They Came Home They Were on Their Own’—National Guard Grapples With Suicide Rate

February 2, 2023
As things got worse, death itself became a means of intervention: Funerals reunited buddies, and they quietly identified who could be next.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Murdock-web-1.jpg 665 1000 Lara Salahi https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Lara Salahi2023-02-02 09:50:202023-02-09 09:46:48‘When They Came Home They Were on Their Own’—National Guard Grapples With Suicide Rate
Sean Paul, left, and his gunner charcoaled their faces as Iraq launched scud missiles just after U.S. troops crossed the border. Troops used charcoal as a way to absorb any chemical agents as they donned their gas masks. Photo courtesy of the author.

Note to Self: When They Come for You in the Night, Don’t Give Up. Fight Back. 

July 20, 2022
Through it all—the good and the bad—always remember you will achieve your goal. Keep your chin up, endure, and always remember: It will be OK.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/face-paint.jpg 368 604 Sean Paul https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sean Paul2022-07-20 09:43:012022-07-20 09:43:01Note to Self: When They Come for You in the Night, Don’t Give Up. Fight Back. 
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

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

Losing the Fear That He Abandoned His Men

January 18, 2017
War stories can sometimes read like confessionals. David Chrisinger encourages a student Marine Veteran to confide in the reader instead.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TeamRWBStorytellingCamp2016II.jpg 1000 1500 David Chrisinger https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Chrisinger2017-01-18 20:29:042020-12-16 13:01:08Losing the Fear That He Abandoned His Men

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

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.”

“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

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

“Hellraisers,” Tinder Dates, and the Curse of the White Cloud

April 29, 2020
All he wanted was to see combat. Fortunately, he missed out.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2-960x720-web.jpg 720 960 Dan Elinoff https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dan Elinoff2020-04-29 09:49:552020-12-04 14:26:38“Hellraisers,” Tinder Dates, and the Curse of the White Cloud
David Rich, left, takes a selfie with his son, Noah Rich. Photo courtesy of the author.

“War Is Indefinable”–For Some, War Is Combat. But It’s Not That Simple.

November 11, 2021
For a long time, I thought military service fit on one of two sides of a coin. It was either war, meaning combat and fighting, or it wasn’t.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/noah-rich-and-his-dad.jpg 676 900 Noah Rich https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Noah Rich2021-11-11 08:45:452021-11-18 20:59:58“War Is Indefinable”–For Some, War Is Combat. But It’s Not That Simple.

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

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/camels.jpg 1000 1500 Tim Patterson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tim Patterson2016-07-24 18:58:072021-06-07 18:07:56The Afghan Girls I Couldn’t Save
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.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Castro-family-web.jpg 643 900 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-06-09 09:19:382022-06-09 16:51:43“Don’t Go Here. They’ll Kill You.”—LGBTQ Troops, Families Face Mounting Discrimination With New Laws
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. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/training-wall-web.jpg 667 1000 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2020-03-04 10:00:042021-11-19 19:00:06Moral Waivers for War—”I Was Shocked, but We Needed Men.”
Members of the Fort Hood and Killeen community gathered in July for a candlelight vivil for Spc. Vanessa Guillen and her family. Photo by Army Spc. Lesha Little, courtesy of U.S. Army.

I Am Vanessa Guillen

July 15, 2020
A veteran relives her trauma through the headlines.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/justice-vanessa-guillen-rally-1200x800-web.jpg 800 1200 Ruthy Muñoz https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Ruthy Muñoz2020-07-15 09:32:532020-12-04 18:04:32I Am Vanessa Guillen

“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
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

Camouflaged as Polling Workers, National Guard Presence During Primaries Fuels Worries of Militarized Presidential Election

October 14, 2020
“Our goal was to make sure that you couldn’t tell whether it was a Guardsman or a volunteer,” said a spokesperson, of the deployments to polling stations. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/6278715-web.jpg 694 1900 Courtney Mabeus https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Courtney Mabeus2020-10-14 06:39:062021-04-27 23:34:12Camouflaged as Polling Workers, National Guard Presence During Primaries Fuels Worries of Militarized Presidential Election
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
Dan Woodward pictured near the end of his pilot training. One of his classmates, Tony, would later die in a T-38 trainer crash. Photo courtesy of the author.

‘Lead, Follow, or Get out of the Way’–We Really Did Live That Way.

April 18, 2023
Both aircraft exploded. ... Tony, Tom, and Will, Tony’s student, touched the hand of God, and chaos shoved itself into the lives of everyone they knew.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Woodward-1600x900-1.jpg 900 1600 Dan Woodward https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dan Woodward2023-04-18 20:08:382023-04-20 09:25:41‘Lead, Follow, or Get out of the Way’–We Really Did Live That Way.

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

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

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
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

Veterans-Turned-Poll Workers Defend Democratic Elections Against Threats Foreign and Domestic

November 3, 2022
Recruiting veterans to work as poll workers could harness the energy of veterans looking for new ways to serve their country.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Mail-in-feature.jpg 900 1600 Sonner Kehrt https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sonner Kehrt2022-11-03 09:39:542022-11-08 13:46:07Veterans-Turned-Poll Workers Defend Democratic Elections Against Threats Foreign and Domestic
Soldiers with C Co. 1/12th Cavalry Regiment prepare to deploy near Bong Son, in Vietnam, in 1966. Photo courtesy of the author.

Remembering Journalist Sam Castan and His Deadly Ride with Crazy Horse

June 30, 2021
“Memories of Sam’s death haunted me for decades,” writes a former Army public affairs officer about the death of a journalist during the Vietnam War.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/01_Night-patrol-briefing_smooth-web.jpg 1143 2100 Marvin J. Wolf https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Marvin J. Wolf2021-06-30 09:01:512021-11-19 16:18:05Remembering Journalist Sam Castan and His Deadly Ride with Crazy Horse
Janell Hanf and Marines from her unit celebrate at the end of the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Photo courtesy of the author. 

“I’m Not a Sir”—Dearth of Women Causes Marines to Expect Male Leadership

January 6, 2021
Women have served in the Corps for more than 100 years, but are still treated like a novelty, stunting the transition to an inclusive military culture.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Janell-Hanf-on-Mud-Run-with-Marine-team.jpg 1198 2100 Janell Hanf https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Janell Hanf2021-01-06 09:42:372021-04-27 22:06:32“I’m Not a Sir”—Dearth of Women Causes Marines to Expect Male Leadership
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.

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.”

Pumpkin Head and the Horror Show

May 29, 2019
A former infantry officer contemplates the numbing effects of war and inhumanity.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/pumpkin-head-the-war-horse.jpg 753 1223 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2019-05-29 09:00:402020-12-16 13:09:32Pumpkin Head and the Horror Show

Drown Proofing, Khaki Shorts. Some Things About Dive School Don’t Change

July 5, 2017
Tenley Lozano jumped at the chance to become a Coast Guard diver, proudly passing the tests every prospective diver undergoes. Water knows no gender.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Class12-10DrownProofing2.jpg 563 1000 Tenley Lozano https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Tenley Lozano2017-07-05 19:06:072020-12-04 17:56:59Drown Proofing, Khaki Shorts. Some Things About Dive School Don’t Change

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

February 9, 2023
The Army National Guard has experienced similar rates of suicide as the military’s active component, with far fewer resources and less support.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/9.-DCo2PL-Credit_-Hercules-Lobo-900x451-1.jpg 451 900 Lara Salahi https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Lara Salahi2023-02-09 09:37:372023-02-10 08:38:10Citizen or Soldier? A Blurry Balancing Act Has National Guard Reeling for Resilience.

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

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
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.

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

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
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.

Like Roses And Mustard Gas

September 11, 2016
Gerardo Mena left active duty with the Navy ten years ago. Friends died at war overseas and continue to die at home by suicide. On the 15th anniversary of 9/11, he recalls a eulogy for a friend.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/10.jpg 640 640 Gerardo Mena https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Gerardo Mena2016-09-11 20:16:122021-06-07 19:37:25Like Roses And Mustard Gas

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
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

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’
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

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

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

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/20160417-MattEich-0502.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. Brennan2018-04-23 18:33:512020-11-23 23:14:12Echoes Project: A World and a Lifetime Ago
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, and former Sen. Elizabeth Dole arrive at an event celebrating children of military and veteran caregiving families in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 10. Photo by Air Force Sgt. Jack Sanders, courtesy of the Defense Department.

While Americans See an End to 20 Years of War, VA’s Job Has Just Begun

December 2, 2021
Veterans have immediate, life-or-death needs and want better care. They want it for yesterday’s veterans, too.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/McDonough-web.jpg 600 900 David Goldstein https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png David Goldstein2021-12-02 09:15:032021-12-06 11:30:10While Americans See an End to 20 Years of War, VA’s Job Has Just Begun

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
Maj. Mary L. Olodun, commander of the 326th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, and her husband, Adereni Olodun, retired Army master sergeant and former Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve representative, talk about service members’ rights under USERRA for Berks County TV in 2013. From left to right: Host Bob Orzechowski, 326th MPAD commander; Maj. Mary L. Olodun; retired master sergeant Adereni Olodun; and attorney Joan London. Photo by Staff Sgt. Julio Nieves, courtesy of the U.S. Army

As Troops Face Mounting Demands to Serve in Crises, Civilian Employers Are Firing Them

July 7, 2022
As demand for “part-time” troops grows, civilian employers are increasingly flouting federal protections to discriminate against them.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/USERRA-web.jpg 600 900 Michael de Yoanna https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael de Yoanna2022-07-07 09:18:452022-07-07 11:16:56As Troops Face Mounting Demands to Serve in Crises, Civilian Employers Are Firing Them
The sun rises over Forward Operating Base Bermel, Paktika province, Afghanistan, in 2006. Photo courtesy of the author.

The Countryside Is as Much a Place of Peace as War

June 1, 2022
The Afghan countryside is where the white-hot heart of the Taliban has always beaten strongest.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Picture3_SunriseonForwardOperatingBaseBermel-2007_JMacAdam.jpeg 623 924 J.G.P. MacAdam https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png J.G.P. MacAdam2022-06-01 09:22:042022-06-01 09:22:04The Countryside Is as Much a Place of Peace as War
“At his hands, I experienced military sexual trauma that was disguised as romance. First, he made me feel safe, then he made me feel important, and then he made me feel hopeless,” writes Andrea Rathbun. Photo by Paola Chaaya, courtesy of Upsplash.com

He Used a Position of Power, In a Time of War, to Get What He Wanted. 

November 29, 2022
I wouldn’t know that this is when I lost my sense of service. I wouldn’t know that there was a reason I couldn’t stand to be alone in a room with a man.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Depression-web.jpg 1272 1900 Andrea Renee Sandoval Rathbun https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrea Renee Sandoval Rathbun2022-11-29 16:09:382022-11-30 09:36:00He Used a Position of Power, In a Time of War, to Get What He Wanted. 
All military mental health programs are geared toward suicide prevention and increasing resiliency, according to military public affairs. The military also offers unit-based resiliency training, stress- and anger-management training, outpatient counseling services, family advocacy, and alcohol and drug abuse counseling. Photo by Joshua J. Seybert, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

‘Valhalla Can Wait’—The National Guard Stands at the Crossroads of Crisis

February 7, 2023
As National Guardsmen deploy more often in response to fires, floods, storms, and civil unrest, the solution won’t come with the end of the forever wars.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/head-in-hands-web-1000x505-1.jpg 505 1000 Lara Salahi https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Lara Salahi2023-02-07 09:51:282023-02-09 09:48:30‘Valhalla Can Wait’—The National Guard Stands at the Crossroads of Crisis

“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

“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
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.

Being Hunted by the Sadr City Sniper

July 24, 2019
There are many moments in war—the surprises, the close calls. A former infantry officer reflects on one that had both.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/1st-PLT-B-Co-in-Sadr-City-e1563980642859.jpg 511 765 Augusto Giacoman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Augusto Giacoman2019-07-24 11:02:382021-11-19 20:58:52Being Hunted by the Sadr City Sniper

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

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

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
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
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

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

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

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_3161.jpg 665 1000 Brandon Lingle https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Brandon Lingle2016-08-06 18:02:202021-06-07 18:29:57Relics Of War And The Stories They Share
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

‘I Decided to Become the Safe Place that I so Desperately Needed’

August 19, 2020
A chief petty officer stays in the Navy after she’s sexually assaulted so she can help other women, inspire culture change
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/mk116-console-square.jpg 658 960 Jeni Brett https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Jeni Brett2020-08-19 09:09:522021-04-28 00:36:09‘I Decided to Become the Safe Place that I so Desperately Needed’

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

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
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”

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

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

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/332efsgroupphoto5b25d.jpg 425 640 Eric Chandler https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Eric Chandler2016-10-19 19:08:462021-06-07 20:49:00The Day I Held My Fire

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

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

Baseball Games in Tokyo and a White House Tour—“I Bet It Never Smells Like Fart in There”

December 2, 2020
When the Secret Service let a member of the Air Force into the vice president’s vehicle, he thought to himself, “I bet it never smells like fart in there.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Then-Vice-President-Joe-Bidens-Limo-e1607528697447.jpg 412 640 Sloan Green https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Sloan Green2020-12-02 09:30:312021-11-19 17:37:21Baseball Games in Tokyo and a White House Tour—“I Bet It Never Smells Like Fart in There”

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
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
A Russian general reminds Col. Rick Kiernan of the relationship between the USSR and the United States in World War II. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.

A Vision of a Russian Cultural Transformation Comes Full Circle and Shatters

October 26, 2022
I left Moscow feeling as if we’d accomplished what we set out to do. Hope for a free ‘information architecture’ reigned—for a while, then shattered.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/USSR-Briefing-web-feature.jpg 864 1261 Rick Kiernan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Rick Kiernan2022-10-26 09:18:532022-10-26 09:18:53A Vision of a Russian Cultural Transformation Comes Full Circle and Shatters

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 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
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

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
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”
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.

She Needs a Background Check and a Day Pass to Visit Her Father’s Grave, Part 2

September 26, 2018
Kelly McHugh-Stewart picked up her ritual black coffee and red carnations, one for each member of her growing family, to lay at her father’s gravesite.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/FtLeavenworth2.jpeg 1875 2500 Kelly McHugh-Stewart https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kelly McHugh-Stewart2018-09-26 12:14:112021-11-19 21:12:35She Needs a Background Check and a Day Pass to Visit Her Father’s Grave, Part 2

“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

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

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

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_5131.jpg 1500 1500 Joy Craig https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Joy Craig2017-09-11 20:17:042020-11-23 23:40:51Time Stood Still That Morning on Parris Island

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

“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
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
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
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.
Amanda Huffman, left, and other cadets from Detachment 035 work on team building through the low course at California State University, Fresno. Photo courtesy of the author.

The Military Pushed Me to Listen and My Worldview Shattered. Now, I Can Rebuild.

June 22, 2022
I assumed seeing the world and meeting new people would reinforce what I already believed. Instead, I have seen my convictions slowly crack and crumble.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Team-web.jpg 675 900 Amanda Huffman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Amanda Huffman2022-06-22 09:21:302022-06-22 09:21:30The Military Pushed Me to Listen and My Worldview Shattered. Now, I Can Rebuild.
Roy and Andrew van Wey in Husaybah, Iraq. Photo courtesy of the author.

“They Didn’t Make It?”—When Your Brother’s Homecoming Starts in a Burn Ward

August 12, 2020
After an IED exploded in Iraq, a badly burned Marine asks his brother if his teammates survived. “He knows I won’t lie to him. We are both warriors.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/roy-and-andrew-van-wey-iraq.jpg 469 604 Andrew van Wey https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Andrew van Wey2020-08-12 09:35:582021-11-19 17:44:06“They Didn’t Make It?”—When Your Brother’s Homecoming Starts in a Burn Ward
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.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Deg-Sinness-runs-Marine-Corps-Marathon-MCM15-.jpg 701 701 Deb Sinness https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Deb Sinness2021-06-23 08:40:572021-11-19 16:22:57After the “Witch Hunt” of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a Decade of Pride

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

I Couldn’t Fix the Problems From Inside. To Be Part of the Solution, I Had to Leave.

April 12, 2023
I still have nightmares about my service. Some are about those I couldn’t save; others are about toxic leaders who drove good servicemembers away.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Corps-School-feature-2.jpg 646 1149 Kirsten Laha-Walsh https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kirsten Laha-Walsh2023-04-12 09:00:282023-04-12 09:30:17I Couldn’t Fix the Problems From Inside. To Be Part of the Solution, I Had to Leave.

“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
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

“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

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

“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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Bradley-Gunnery-Field-Manual-Cover_Page_1.jpg 3509 2712 Michael Carson https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Michael Carson2019-05-08 09:00:332020-12-04 15:00:13“I Was Still Pretending”—a Road Trip and Worry for a Little Boy
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
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
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

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/download-1-49.jpg 815 1200 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2018-04-23 21:36:392020-11-23 23:10:50Echoes Project: The Homecoming

The Marine Corps’ Fight to ‘Degrade and Defeat ISIS’ Using ‘Reagan-Flavored’ Kool-Aid

March 31, 2021
“We spend a lot of our time wondering, mostly alone, sometimes aloud,” writes a Marine officer, “if what we’re doing makes any difference, to anyone.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Syria-web.jpg 1137 2100 John Vrolyk https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png John Vrolyk2021-03-31 09:25:572021-04-27 19:36:40The Marine Corps’ Fight to ‘Degrade and Defeat ISIS’ Using ‘Reagan-Flavored’ Kool-Aid

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
Dillon Fishman looks through binoculars aboard the USS Tortuga during amphibious training in southeast Asia when he served as the executive officer of the landing force. Photo courtesy of the author.

Her Willingness to Speak Truth in Spite of Fear Left a Lasting Impression

November 24, 2021
I still remember the day when my mentor said, “We gotta go see about a chick who was banging the baseball coach while her husband was away.”
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Tortuga-1-web.jpg 1400 2100 Dillon Fishman https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Dillon Fishman2021-11-24 07:12:472021-11-24 07:12:47Her Willingness to Speak Truth in Spite of Fear Left a Lasting Impression

Echoes Project: The Replacement

April 23, 2018
After Javier’s funeral at Arlington Cemetery, the Marines who were still in Afghanistan tried their best to stay positive for the rest of their deployment.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/the-replacement.jpg 601 1300 Thomas J. Brennan https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Thomas J. Brennan2018-04-23 21:30:042020-11-23 23:11:56Echoes Project: The Replacement
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.
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

War Trauma Spread Through His Family Like a Virus

June 21, 2017
Colonels shouldn't appear to be traumatized, John Sims was told. But after decades of war he needed help if he and his family were going to survive.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/blog_trauma_slide3.jpg 674 1000 John Sims https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png John Sims2017-06-21 17:32:002020-11-24 00:10:39War Trauma Spread Through His Family Like a Virus
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?
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
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

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

Fixed Bayonets—Paratroopers and Banzai at Grubbs Ravine

December 17, 2020
In this excerpt from Kevin Maurer’s 2020 book, Rock Force, paratroopers are almost overrun by a banzai charge aimed at pushing them off the high ground.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Jones-briefs-his-staff-web-2.jpg 869 1438 Kevin Maurer https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Kevin Maurer2020-12-17 09:34:172021-04-27 22:20:28Fixed Bayonets—Paratroopers and Banzai at Grubbs Ravine
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.

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.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/download-4-4.jpeg 1406 2500 John Sims https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png John Sims2017-08-16 19:57:362021-11-20 00:45:25Learning How to Talk About War Helped Their Family Heal

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”

I Had Seen What ‘Lock and Load’ Meant to This Drunk and Rowdy Rabble, and I Wanted Out

August 3, 2022
This was “Old Navy,” with its emphasis on secrecy, drinking, and sexually disparaging language and acts. But it sure was fun.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Chief-Int-Pg-2-Bowling-ball-feature-web.jpg 556 900 Captain R. Van https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Captain R. Van2022-08-03 09:06:092022-08-03 09:06:09I Had Seen What ‘Lock and Load’ Meant to This Drunk and Rowdy Rabble, and I Wanted Out

Aperol Spritzes and Dreams of Post-Pandemic Biergartens in Lindau

March 17, 2021
Marriage counseling alongside soldiers from Special Operations Command was not what a military spouse imagined for her first trip to Europe. 
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/machi-potff1-web-crop.jpg 1047 2100 Vivienne Machi https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Vivienne Machi2021-03-17 09:07:302021-04-27 20:37:11Aperol Spritzes and Dreams of Post-Pandemic Biergartens in Lindau

She Struggled With Alcohol Abuse. Now This Sailor Wants to End the Stigma of Seeking Help.

February 2, 2022
It should have been one of the most memorable nights of my career but I destroyed it because I couldn’t control my drinking.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Usa-India-Japan-featured-web.jpeg 1169 2089 Theresa Carpenter https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Theresa Carpenter2022-02-02 09:09:532022-02-02 09:09:53She Struggled With Alcohol Abuse. Now This Sailor Wants to End the Stigma of Seeking Help.

I Leave Out the Part Where We Catch the Man

May 31, 2017
Drew Pham told civilians stories of trauma when he first returned. He soon learned that it was easier to tell them a funny story about a goat.
https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/AnAfghansoldierstandsguardbytheroadside.jpg 1000 1500 Drew Pham https://thewarhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NEW-War-Horse-logo-no-tagline-405x160-1.png Drew Pham2017-05-31 02:30:002020-12-04 18:04:48I Leave Out the Part Where We Catch the Man

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”

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 Lozano