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The War Horse
The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?
Drop a pebble into a pond and, after the initial splash, ripples spread across the water. It’s a familiar image, one we know so intuitively that everyone understands immediately what you mean by the phrase “ripple effect.” Yet, even when…
This Is What We Do in America. We Pause. We Forget. Then We Begin the Next War.
My stepfather, brother, and I served in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are still there, frozen in the suck—a boomer, a Gen Xer, and a millennial—ducking mortars, mourning dead colleagues, and waiting for care packages curated by Mom. For seven…
If There Was No Iwo Jima Airfield, I’d Have Been on My Knees Praying
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The post If There Was No Iwo Jima Airfield, I’d Have Been on My Knees Praying appeared first on The…
She Never Told Me Why She Took Me Under Her Wing, But I Would Have Been Lost Without Her
With less than a handful of days remaining in December, an eclectic range of Christmas decorations adorns the boats in the harbor. As my gaze drifts from the gently swaying winterized vessels to the gray haze across the horizon, my thoughts…
Economic Insecurity for Military Families Predates Pandemic, Inflation
Mandi Afoa wanted a good cup of coffee. She had just moved to Fort Polk, Louisiana, from Texas with her husband, an active-duty Army captain, and their three children. She missed the coffee scene she’d left behind in San Antonio.Afoa had…
The War Doesn’t End. But as Long as He Keeps Fighting, I’ll Fight for Him, Too.
As of Jan. 17, veterans thinking about hurting themselves can get free crisis care, including inpatient, for up to 90 days at Veterans Affairs. They do not need to be enrolled in VA care. For immediate help, dial 988, then press 1.My…
I Was a Shitbag. Now, I Help Carry Others Through Their Darkness.
I was a shitbag.When I shipped off to Army basic training at Fort Benning, my dad had a bet that I wouldn’t graduate, even though he encouraged my enlistment.See, my dad was a military cadet in the Philippine military. According to him and…
The Country We Loved Didn’t Love Us Back. Maybe This Time Would Be Different.
My room is my very own special place,will I decorate it with leatheror with lace?Grade school poetry at its finest, I wrote these deeply profound words while daydreaming about having my very own bedroom someday. An introvert within a…
Citizen or Soldier? A Blurry Balancing Act Has National Guard Reeling for Resilience.
As of Jan. 17, veterans thinking about hurting themselves can get free crisis care, including inpatient, for up to 90 days at Veterans Affairs. They do not need to be enrolled in VA care. For immediate help, dial 988, then press 1.Editor’s…
‘I Don’t Want You in My Navy’– Forging My Own Path to Those Silver Eagles
I was born in 1960, and if I had been born in ’58, it would have been a completely different life.— Michele Howard, Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired), first woman four-star admiral and first Black woman to captain a U.S. Navy ship, Women in the…
Play Hard. Get Dirty. Use Good Saop.