Topic: Healthcare

War Horse Managing Editor Recognized by VA Secretary for Toxic Exposure Reporting

“Kelly told the human stories of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and families who were suffering, so we as a nation would not, and could not, forget.”
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.

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?
Marine Corps Sgt. David E. Martin assists a veteran during his visit to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in 2014. Photo by Sgt. Alvin Williams Jr., courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Climate Change Makes Things Harder for Unhoused Veterans

Unhoused Veterans Provide a Mini View of How Climate Change Affects Homelessness

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

As things got worse, death itself became a means of intervention: Funerals reunited buddies, and they quietly identified who could be next.
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 

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.

More Than 40% of Troops Face Limited or No Access to Abortion Care, Study Shows

Even before the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, abortion care for military women was extremely limited.
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. 

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.
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

The Ukrainian people were grateful for us, and that gratitude made us feel small and humbled.
A cup full of single-use, ion-exchange, gel-based media sits atop valves that control a groundwater remediation system being used to remove PFAS from groundwater at the fire training area of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in, 2020. Photo by Ty Greenlees, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

“It’s Scary as Hell”—PFAS Exposure a “Widespread” Problem for Troops, Families Nationwide

Some of the highest concentrations of PFAS chemicals in the country have been found at and around military bases.