Topic: Human Rights

U.S. Army Pfc. Alexis York, left, and Spc. Zekia Heath, both cannon crew members with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion 107th Field Artillery Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard, stand watch near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, March 3, after the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class R.J. Lannom Jr., courtesy of U.S. Army.

“Our Backgrounds Are Not Monolithic”—a Look Inside the Military’s Conversation About Extremism in Uniform

“There are a lot of Three Percenters on base, one soldier said.” Another asked “why we weren't talking about Black Lives Matter or Antifa” in uniform?

Infil: Where Two-Dimensional PowerPoints and Rock Talk Meet “Visceral Lethality”

“Reality sank in as we donned our combat gear in the ready room,” writes a former Army infantry officer. “In combat, do you ever really have control?”

“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.
An ammunition specialist carries a 105 mm armor-piercing, discarding sabot round, to be used in an M1 Abrams tank, during Desert Shield. Photo by Sgt. Brain Cumper, courtesy of U.S. Army.

Fighting to Go Home: Operation Desert Storm, 30 Years Later

The Pentagon expected roughly 40% of Americans would be wounded or killed but “the Iraqi army wasn’t nearly as formidable as everyone made them out to be.”
Caption: The Silent Drill Platoon performs at Quantico’s Lejeune Hall. According to the Corps, the platoon “exemplifies the professionalism associated with the United States Marine Corps.” Photograph by Gunnery Sgt. Ezekiel Kitandwe

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.”
The F/A-18 Hornet Mark Fox flew when he faced a MiG during Operation Desert Storm being restored to display at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. Photo courtesy of Fox.

30 Years On, Veterans Recall the Desert Storm Air War

People tend to remember Desert Storm as a short, easy war. Compared with the “forever” wars, that makes sense: a 100-hour blip in the annals of history.

From Death Threats to a French Dandy, Afghan Contractors Abandoned by the U.S. Struggle to Find Asylum Abroad

The Taliban wants him dead. Because he worked for the Americans. But he didn’t ask for help from the people he saved by throwing away everything he had.
Children from a nearby village pose for a photograph in Zharay district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, in 2012. Photo by Spc. Jason Nolte, courtesy of U.S. Army.

“I Screamed Into My Radio to Ignore the Order”—Pardoned Soldier’s Comrade Still Lives With Guilt of Murdered Civilians

When Clint Lorance ordered his men to kill innocent civilians in Afghanistan, the soldiers came home and struggled to assuage their feelings of guilt.

Taking Unresponsive Leadership To Task as a Black Woman Army Officer

During her military career, she felt alone. As a Black woman. An officer. As a survivor of sexual assaults. Alone to battle mental illness.