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The War Horse
They Did Everything They Could to Make Her Fail. But They Could Not Break Her.
Her fate was sealed before she even stepped off the plane at Agana Airport (Guam) in 1979. That’s a fact. The officers and chiefs had decided that the ensign was going to fail—they were not going to let a female line officer tell them what…
Expectant Service Members Lack Support. Doulas Could Help, Advocates Say.
Gaby Cavins entered her military treatment facility on a Friday afternoon in February 2017 for a prenatal checkup. A lieutenant, junior grade, in the Navy, she was 25, healthy, and a week past her due date. She wanted to wait for natural…
I Watched His Blood Wash Out of the OH-58D. It Was a Hell of a Way to Grow Up.
I remember it like it was yesterday. Receiving live ammo for the first time. It reminded me of when my dad would deal out .30-06 rounds the morning before a hunt. I never got over how similar those two feelings are.I remember landing and…
‘A False Memory’–As Confederate Monuments Topple, Some at VA Cemeteries Still Loom Large
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The post ‘A False Memory’–As Confederate Monuments Topple, Some at VA Cemeteries Still Loom Large…
Because I Was a Woman Who Served, I Was Stigmatized and Stereotyped by a Stranger
My calendar stood wide open that Saturday as I drove around listening to the local country radio station. So when I heard an advertisement for a resource fair for veterans at my favorite local brewery—Service Brewing Company—I figured I’d…
Our Love Was a Casualty of War, Destroyed by Time, Distance, and Things We Couldn’t Say
In the days after the planes struck on that cloudless, sun-soaked Tuesday morning, a pack of military recruiters descended upon a South Florida high school.The recruiters’ mission-focused gaze cut through the early afternoon humidity like a…
The Cadence of the 21 Gunshots Pierced My Ears. I Braced Myself for Each One.
One by one, family and friends stepped up to the altar. They spoke of his bravery, leadership, and intelligence. They joked about his love for espresso.Before it was my turn to speak, I rushed to the bathroom, palms sweaty and stomach…
I Heard My Daughter’s First Cry From 7,000 Miles Away. Hours Later, I Was in a War Zone.
In the wasteland deserts of Kuwait, I crammed my gear into duffle bags, preparing to fly into Iraq for a yearlong deployment. At the same time, but on the other side of the planet, my wife gave birth to our first child.I packed ammo…
‘A Violent Transition’—Mental Health Care Lacks Military Cultural Understanding
In 2010, Seth Allard, a Marine Corps veteran and member of the Sault Saint Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, drove past a parking lot full of cars outside a local Catholic Church in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and wondered why such a large…
Mark Test Post
The invitation to the Padre Island Burger Club in Texas came in while Marine Corps 1st Lt. Allison Bennett was out sailing on a friend’s boat. A flight instructor in her naval aviation training squadron texted that he was meeting with a…
Play Hard. Get Dirty. Use Good Saop.