As an infantryman who carried a rifle through Fallujah, watching the news feels dizzying, almost unreal. I kicked in doors in the Middle East; I watched friends bleed. I know what war really looks like when the cameras leave and the speeches end. My daughter is almost 16 now, almost as old as I was […]
Policy
Posted inNewsroom
Drone Warfare Has Dramatically Changed the Battlefield. Is the US Medical Corps Ready?
On a serene Saturday afternoon, thousands of miles from conflict, soldiers with the California Air National Guard are scattered among stations, hunched over a buddy. Some apply tourniquets. Others practice life-saving skills, checking for breathing, tilting chins to clear airways, searching for blood loss and hidden wounds. This is how they learn to keep a […]
Posted inNewsroom
A War Zone, Minus the War: One Year Later, Has the Military Really Secured the US-Mexico Border?
On a warm, winter Sunday, the Playas de Tijuana in Mexico is filled with families picnicking. The beach here presses right up against the border wall with the United States. Music blares, teenagers film TikTok videos next to the 30-foot high fence, which is covered in painted murals on the Mexican side—butterflies, faces, human hands […]
Posted inReflections
Tuition, Training, Housing: How to Sell the Military as the Path of Least Resistance
When I reported for duty in 1985, neither the Nevada submarine nor I was ready to go to sea. The submarine was under construction in the shipyard, and I was an unqualified third-class petty officer. By the time I left the USS Nevada nearly six years later, I was a salty first-class petty officer who […]
Posted inNewsroom
What led to Operation Epic Fury?
Editor’s note: This is a special edition of The War Horse’s “Under the Wire” newsletter. Each week, we tap into Operation Timeline, our ongoing recap of the Trump administration’s impact on the military and veterans, to focus on one issue and trace back the headlines to show how we got here. Visit Operation Timeline for […]
Posted inNewsroom
Q&A: How Did the U.S. Patrol the Caribbean for Drug Smuggling Before It Started Blowing Up Boats?
For decades before the Pentagon started blowing up alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, the Coast Guard tracked, intercepted, and boarded the little skiffs that carried cocaine and marijuana across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific to the U.S. The dramatic escalation this fall, which has killed at least 99 people as of Wednesday, including 12 […]
Posted inNewsroom
VA Warned These Companies They May Be Breaking the Law. Most Are Still in Business
Companies that help veterans file their disability benefits received warning letters from Veterans Affairs that claimed they may be acting illegally.
Posted inNewsroom
A List of the Veterans Florida Executed in 2025
Edward James Vet history: U.S. Army Crime: Convicted for the murder of an eight-year-old girl and her grandmother in 1993. Execution date: March 20, 2025 Jeffrey Hutchinson Vet history: U.S. Army Ranger, served during the Gulf War Crime: Convicted of the murder of his girlfriend and her three children in 1998. Execution date: May 1, […]
Posted inNewsroom
Florida’s Governor Is a Veteran. So Are Seven Inmates He’ll Send to the Execution Chamber This Year
Florida’s governor and former Navy veteran, Ron Desantis, signed death warrants for seven veterans.
Posted inNewsroom
A Massive Fraud Probe, a Botched Investigation, and the Thousands of Soldiers Who Paid
Army investigation into military recruiting scandal led to thousands of veterans being titled by military.
Posted inNewsroom
They’ve Never Been Arrested. Why Does the FBI List Thousands of Service Members as Potential Criminals?
Military titling system lists service members as potential criminals, upending their lives. These veterans try to set the record straight.
Posted inNewsroom
These Military Moms Turned Their Homes Into Day Cares. Then DOD’s Inspectors Came Knocking
Military spouses say defense department regulations hamper family child care centers, even as the military faces child care shortage.
