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The War Horse
The Time Machine–Nothing Prepared Me for the Distortion of Time and Space on a Submarine
I spent 18 months in training before reporting to my first submarine. I learned a lot about damage control, sonar, electronics, and how to distinguish a sperm whale from a humpback whale. But nothing prepared me for the disconnection from…
Banana Meringue Pie, Smokey Robinson, and the Christmas Bombings of 1972
I woke up early on the morning of Dec. 6, 1972, to pack and say tearful goodbyes to my wife, Martie, and our one-year-old daughter, Amy. We’d decided ahead of time that my father-in-law “Pop” Lowry would drive me from Temple, Texas, to Love…
‘Murphy’s Law of Deployment:’ What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong. But I Am Brave Enough.
Before opening the door to my husband’s brand-new squadron, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. I was 23 years old, and I didn’t know a soul there besides my new husband. Tonight was the first social event we attended, and I felt…
He Used a Position of Power, In a Time of War, to Get What He Wanted.
I am the worst person ever. I am THE WORST person ever. I AM the worst person EVER. I AM THE WORST PERSON EVER. i am the worst person ever.I lived with these thoughts for a long time, and my family lived with me living with these thoughts.…
Come Thanksgiving, I Will Think of His Sacrifice and the Human Cost of War
Family time eluded me for much of 2010. As my unit prepared to join the ever-growing number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Marine Corps kept us busy training in North Carolina and Arizona.First Lt. William Donnelly IV training in the…
The Story Behind Operation Pineapple Express, a Daring Rescue Effort in Afghanistan
The abrupt departure of the final American troops from Afghanistan last year after two decades of war plunged Kabul into anguished chaos. Watching coverage of the withdrawal at home in Tampa, Florida, Scott Mann sank into furious…
Nobody Leaves War Emotionally Healthy. The Path to Recovery Is Unique to Each Person.
The U.S. military always takes care of its own when Thanksgiving rolls around, no matter what part of the world you’re in. In November 1968, that place was the fishing village of Rach Gia, where I spent the final five months of my year-long…
Climate Change Makes Things Harder for Unhoused Veterans
On a Friday afternoon in early September, the temperature stood at 94 degrees at Windsor Veterans Village just north of Santa Rosa, California—sweet relief from earlier in the week, when the mercury soared to 114 degrees. The sky looked…
We All Have Stories. After All, We Didn’t Just Watch History, We Made It.
We all have stories. After all, we didn’t just watch history, we made it.We lost friends. We saw heroes. Some of us were heroes. We knew sacrifice and pain and sometimes we saw God at the strangest times.Many of us carry a heavy burden and…
War Horse Managing Editor Recognized by VA Secretary for Toxic Exposure Reporting
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough thanked The War Horse’s managing editor Kelly Kennedy for her dogged reporting on the health problems caused by exposure to toxic burn pits during a speech at the National Press Club…
Play Hard. Get Dirty. Use Good Saop.