Active-duty service members and veterans thinking of harming themselves can get free crisis care. Contact the Military Crisis Line at 988, then press 1, or access online chat by texting 838255. People who are not in the military can also call 988. “Who knows what was going on in Cpl. Mobley’s personal life?” The question […]
Marine Corps
Posted inReflections
The Worst Job in the Marines: Telling Parents Their Child Was Dead. It Was Also an Honor
I wasn’t at my new assignment more than two weeks before I had to tell someone their son had died. As I prepared myself, a million thoughts went through my mind: What should I say? What should I do? Am I ready for this? How will the family react to me? I started to feel […]
Posted inReflections
Military Suicide Prevention Training Did Not Prepare Me for the Deaths of My Friends
When I think of suicide, I don’t think of annual training slides, 22 pushup challenges, or the “thoughts and prayers” from social media posts. Instead, I think about the phone call with my mom. I think about needing to call her because I had just been told that my friend had taken his own life. […]
Posted inNewsroom
Inside the Wait for War: Military Families Brace for What Comes Next
Caryl Banks dragged a kitchen chair beneath the overhead light and climbed onto it with a bucket of warm, soapy water balanced on the countertop. She wrung out a sponge, lifted it toward the ceiling, and began working it in slow, deliberate circles. Water slid down her forearm and dripped onto the kitchen floor. It […]
Posted inReflections
A Marine Went on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land to Heal from War. War Found Him Anyway
The sirens started at midnight. I’d been asleep in my hotel room in Jerusalem when I was jolted awake by the piercing blast of sirens screaming into the night. Not the distant warning we’d heard days earlier when Houthi rockets flew toward Israel, but the full-throated city-wide alert that meant one thing: incoming. My phone […]
Posted inReflections
A Marine Fights a New War. This Time With Her Own Body
Marine perseveres through health problems after service
Posted inReflections
‘I Won’t Shed Any Tears the Day I Leave.’ Letters Home From Marine Officer Candidates School
In 1959, I participated in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. During a tour of the nation’s capital, I discovered that my favorite monument was that of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima in World War II. Seeing it left an indelible impression on 14-year-old me. So much so that I joined […]
Posted inReflections
The Heartbreakingly Common Story of My Military Suicide Attempt
Marine Corps fighter pilot who struggled with his mental health and attempted suicide learns his story is ordinary among the military community.
Posted inReflections
‘I Came Home Different’: What They Don’t Tell You About Life After Service
Marine turned California police officer searches for community and purpose for himself and other veterans after retiring.
Posted inReflections
He Was a Sailor. I, a Marine. Our Romance Was Forbidden by Regulation.
Marine lance corporal and Navy petty officer third class fall in love while stationed in Japan despite military regulations of fraternization.
Posted inNewsroom
Feres Helps Military Avoid Accountability for Harm. New Ruling Could Be a Chance for Justice.
For decades, the Feres doctrine has protected the military from lawsuits over things like training mishaps, medical malpractice, and sexual assault.
Posted inReflections
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.
