Topic: Combat

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”

Tangled alliances with allies and their foes make this one messy war.

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

A combat Army officer reflects on what it means to be at war for your country and search for spiritual meaning.
Josiah Koleosho an hour before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, March 2003. Courtesy Josiah Koleosho.

Finding My Calling While Treating a Casualty Inside Friendly Lines

He saw gore and death, but he also saved lives. There are certain things a former corpsman will never forget or take for granted.

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

Melissa Thomas held the little girl in her lap as their Humvee sped to meet the helicopter, uttering “English-nonsense” to keep the child from passing out.

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

When it’s time to bury a Marine, feelings of pride and admiration can’t always supersede the other emotions that can topple everything.

The Suicide Bombing of December 21 and What Came After

A reporter’s journey through war, trauma and healing
A burn pit in Balad, Iraq. Photo courtesy of Dan Clare

Burn Pits—The Military’s Next Agent Orange

Burn pits have been poisoning soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last 11 years. But Veterans Affairs seems reluctant to do anything about it.

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

A Marine officer reflects on his youthful fearlessness—and its end.
Lyman Abbott's Order to Report Letter from the U.S. Army, 1940.

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

His father served in World War II and remade his life, one that a son is finally discovering.