Topic: Policy

After coming out, the author trained for and ran the 2015 40th Marine Corps Marathon to celebrate her 60th birthday. Photo by Annie Sutherland, courtesy of the author.

After the “Witch Hunt” of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a Decade of Pride

Every time my small inner voice gave me a nudge to the rainbow side of life, my socialized side said, “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re happily married.”
Soldiers deploying to the Gulf War make their way to a plane in 1990 at Volk Field, Wisconsin, on Jan. 1, 1991. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.

“Nearly All” VA Claims for Gulf War Illness “Improperly Denied”

A VA official said the department is “working diligently” to gather information and “remains fully committed” to the concerns of Gulf War veterans.

How the Marine Corps Struck Gold in a Trash Heap During the Defense Department’s Fight Against Climate Change

The DOD treats climate change as a catastrophic threat to national security. “A shrinking polar ice cap doesn’t just mean thinking about polar bears.”
Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 3rd Class Emette Kim and Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Jonathan Howland, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6, discuss rescue communications with Air Force Staff Sgt. Troy Koontz, a survival, evasion, resistance, and escape specialist assigned to Air Education and Training Command, Fairchild Air Force Base, during a daylong survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) refresher training at the Marine Corps Training Area Bellows in 2016. Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Benjamin A. Lewis, courtesy of the U.S. Navy.

SERE School: Where Military-Grade Hide-and-Seek Meets a Life-and-Death Struggle

By the time we were “captured,” we were so exhausted from the cold, little sleep, the lack of food, and the countless miles that we lost all sense of time.

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.

Gulf War Illness Treatments Discovered. Will Veterans Affairs Officials Listen Now?

“That’s what made them sick.” Scientists say toxic exposures and anti-nerve agent pills, paired with DEET, poisoned veterans during the Gulf War.
U.S. Marine sniper scouts use surveillance equipment to study the surrounding territory. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Archives.

A Two-Decade Journey of Close Calls From Lebanon to Kuwait and Iraq

When a Marine officer transferred to the reserves, he believed he’d only be activated for “something with a clear purpose.” Then he was deployed to Iraq.

“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.
Russell Worth Parker with then-three-year-old daughter having a Christmas tea party with her dad by Skype while he was deployed.

Three Disparate Events. Three Subsequent Days. And an Unresolved Dissonance.

As troops withdraw from Afghanistan and the Taliban regains power, a retired Marine reflects on his career in the military and what comes next.