My platoon’s bloody house-to-house fight through the deadliest urban warfare of the U.S. war in Iraq, and our decades-long journey to heal.
Thomas J. Brennan
Thomas is the founder and executive director of The War Horse. He served as an infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan before studying investigative reporting at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. His reporting has appeared in Vanity Fair, Center for Investigative Reporting, and on the front page of The New York Times. Thomas has held fellowships at the Center for a New American Security, The Atlantic Council, and The George W. Bush Institute. Thomas's feature writing has been awarded by the Society for Features Journalism and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. His investigative reporting has earned him both a national and regional Edward R. Murrow, two Fourth Estate Awards, and the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award. He can be reached at thomas@thewarhorse.org.
Posted inNewsroom
Video: “No One’s Gonna Make It Out of Here”
WATCH: Documentary video Shadows of Fallujah interweaves Marines’ firsthand accounts and archival footage to tell the story of thousands of service members ordered to fight Operation Phantom Fury.
Posted inNewsroom
Short Changed: How The Army Failed Spc. Adrienne Barillas
Adrienne Barillas was found naked outside of an Army barracks. The Army ruled her death a suicide. Soldiers and family members say there’s more to the story.
Posted inNewsroom
“It’s All Bullshit”: Broken Military Justice System Jeopardizes Trust and Puts Service Members at Risk
Rather than push reform, the Marine Corps closes ranks, girds up to protect a culture that is, itself, its legal system’s worst enemy.
Posted inNewsroom
Sharky’s and “The Golden Boy”—Military Justice Abandons the Vulnerable to Protect the Powerful
The Marine Corps has hidden the track records of attorneys whose misconduct and disregard for the rule of law has jeopardized the welfare of Marines.
Posted inNewsroom
Second Suicide Battalion: Where Military Justice Weaponizes Mental Health
Rampant disregard for the rights of the accused is not just commonplace, it is deeply entrenched in the military justice system.
Posted inNewsroom
How “Sugar Daddy Deals” and a “Black Book” Deny Service Members Justice
“At some level, the knowledge that your system is unjust can lead units to fracture. It can directly harm readiness.”
Posted inNewsroom
Point of Impact: An Untold Story of Escape From the Pentagon on 9/11 and the Forever Wars That Followed
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.
Posted inReflections
My Afghan Interpreter Earned His U.S. Citizenship. Then He Left.
He served with Marines and earned U.S. citizenship. His wife’s was denied. Now, they wait in Kabul, for the Taliban or her visa—whichever arrives first.
Posted inReflections
“Lost Trust and Confidence” — How the Military Covers Up Officer Misconduct and Why That’s Harmful to Democracy
A revered infantry officer was fired after a “credible” investigation of domestic violence. Marine generals forced a military spokesman to cover it up.
Posted inNewsroom
Senior Marine Corps Counsel Ridicules Sexual Assault Survivor at Court-Martial Hearing
Defense attorneys alleged unlawful command influence, that Marines denied the defendant due process. Judge described Corps’ behavior as “a step too far.”
Posted inNewsroom
Gag Order: How Marine Corps Culture Silenced a Victim of Sexual Assault
A rape victim asked the military for help. Then her fellow Marines turned against her. Now she’s battling mental illness and an attempted murder charge.
