The War Horse Timeline

Since our founding in 2016, The War Horse has grown to become a national leader in the military and reporting communities. Our work has created international headlines and changed multiple military and federal laws, and our supporters include Fortune 100 companies, Ivy League universities, leading foundations, and philanthropists from around the world. This is the story of The War Horse’s journey.

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  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2022
  • 2023
  • 2024
  • 2025

  • The War Horse Partners with NPR to Investigate Disability Claims Consultants

    Capping a year of reporting on the multibillion-dollar claims consulting industry, The War Horse’s Leah Rosenbaum teamed up with NPR’s investigative unit to uncover how dozens of for-profit companies that charge disabled veterans thousands of dollars for help filing for disability claims are ignoring warning letters from VA that their business practices may be breaking the law. Leah appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered to discuss the coverage.

  • “Shadows of Fallujah” Reporting Recognized With Two Awards

    The War Horse team was recognized with its first award for videography from the Military Reporters and Editors Association for its reporting on the Second Battle of Fallujah. The National Press Foundation also recognized the project with a second-place award, highlighting the audio reporting published in collaboration with Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

  • The War Horse Hosts Writing Seminar for Black Veterans

    During our eighth writing seminar, The War Horse team welcomed a cohort of Black veterans to Lucky Spur Ranch for a week of mentorship alongside award-winning journalists, a literary agent, and a revered music producer. The seminar marked the training of the organization’s 100th War Horse Fellow.

  • Reflection Sets Readership Records

    Reflection writer Matt Stone’s rollicking story about how he “chewed coffee grinds like dip, and ran on spite” to endure Ranger School went viral, breaking War Horse readership records.

  • War Horse Moderates Keynote Session at Tillman Leadership Summit

    War Horse founder Thomas Brennan helped kick off the Leadership Summit by interviewing Marie Tillman, who founded the foundation named after her late husband, former NFL player-turned-soldier Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan. They were joined by journalist Jon Krakauer, who spoke about the importance of telling stories and the responsibility that comes along with it. The War Horse also led a training session titled “Empowerment Through Storytelling,” which highlighted the importance of vulnerability and storytelling and how to prepare to do both.

  • Operation Timeline Earns TWH First Data Reporting Award

    Operation Timeline, a data project we launched to document the avalanche of policy changes in the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, was recognized by We The Veterans with the group’s inaugural Patriotic Programming Award. The War Horse project was produced in partnership with The Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley. 

  • TWH Investigative Reporter Featured at Logan Symposium and National Podcast

    Sonner Kehrt represented The War Horse on a panel during the Logan Symposium for Investigative Reporting, where she discussed the challenges faced by military reporters, the importance of her coverage of extremism and LGBTQ issues, as well as her profile of a transgender service member who was forced out of the military. The same month, she was an invited guest on Vox’s Today, Explained podcast to discuss her reporting on the military reconsidering women’s roles in combat. The interview was broadcast on NPR stations across the country.

  • War Horse Recognized With Overseas Press Club Award

    The newsroom was recognized with a citation for excellence from the Overseas Press Club’s prestigious Ed Cunningham Award for Feature Writing for “Shadows of Fallujah,” a reporting project published for the 20th anniversary of the Second Battle of Fallujah. The project was published in partnership with Mother Jones, PBS Newshour, and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. 

     

  • Newsroom Hosts Conversation With Former Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps

    During an evening at the Army Navy Club in Washington, D.C., founder Thomas Brennan interviewed Sgt. Major Carlton Kent, who served as the 16th Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps. During the conversation, Kent discussed his journey from a young man to leading all enlisted Marines in the Corps. He also encouraged event attendees to “stay positive” during turbulent times. 

  • War Horse Series Commemorates 20th Anniversary of Operation Phantom Fury

    The War Horse published “Shadows of Fallujah,” a multimedia series that follows a platoon of Marines through Operation Phantom Fury, the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War, and examines their journey to heal 20 years later. The video documentary was released on Nov. 10, 2024, the 20th anniversary of the day the platoon invaded the city. TWH founder Thomas Brennan’s firsthand account of the battle was published four days later in collaboration with Mother Jones. Veterans, civilians, and senior Pentagon leaders described the reporting as “required reading” for elected officials and the broader American public due to its “heartbreaking, vivid, and brilliantly told” firsthand accounts of combat and its aftermath. Renowned military reporters described the reporting as “stunning” and “simply extraordinary … a powerful and unforgettable piece.”

    Read the reporting.

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