Policies that touch on Army soldiers and families

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

by Andrew van Wey November 11, 2020June 5, 2024

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.

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.

Reflections

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

by Joshua Manning October 28, 2020July 15, 2025

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.

Reflections

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

by Morgan Lerette October 21, 2020July 15, 2025

Blackwater employees were “integral” to rebuilding Iraq, but with limited oversight, contractors had “no ethical obligation” to the country’s citizens.

Hunter Lu, back toward camera, shares a toast with his mother, father, and grandfather. Photo courtesy of the author.

Reflections

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

by Hunter Lu October 7, 2020July 18, 2025

“My parents, like most Chinese immigrants, valued education as the ultimate achievement,” writes veteran Hunter Lu. “The military was for dumb people.”

An Iraqi man out on patrol with U.S. soldiers takes a break beneath a bridge. Photo by Nathan S. Webster.

Reflections

A Journalist’s Favorite Image Mirrors a Loss

by Nathan Webster September 23, 2020July 18, 2025

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

Reflections

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

by Dave Boe September 9, 2020July 11, 2025

A father reconnects with his ex-wife during their son’s graduation from Army basic training. “I told her she was a good mother.”

Reflections

The Army Medic in the Hole

by David Chrisinger August 26, 2020July 18, 2025

“I can’t believe this is how I’m going to die,” thought an Army medic after falling down a well. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. No one is going to rescue us.”