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The War Horse
‘Where Were You?’–Memories of Sept. 11 Still Surface Through Veteran’s Portrait
Sitting for a portrait can be fun: tilt your head this way and move your shoulder down. Give a hint of a smile, like the Mona Lisa. That’s perfect. Yet being photographed for the Veterans Portrait Project in the Military Women’s Memorial…
It All Began With a Secret Union. I Wish I Hadn’t Settled for Secrecy.
I started writing for the U.S. Army as a civilian when I was 21. I worked alongside a veteran editor, a couple of National Guard soldiers, and a few officers. They all warned me against doing two things: joining the military and falling in…
Vietnam Veterans: Seven Steps to Find Out If You Qualify for Agent Orange Benefits
Last week, The War Horse revealed how the Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general estimated that VA has failed to inform up to 87,000 Vietnam War veterans and their survivors that they may now qualify for retroactive…
87,000 Vietnam Veterans May Qualify for $844 Million in Benefits. How Come Nobody Told Them? A…
In the span of just a few weeks, Marc McCabe traveled this summer to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, California, and Texas. But the 74-year-old wasn’t on an epic retirement trip.As a pro bono veterans advocate, he was searching for…
I Became My Own Version of My Father. It Cost Me My Freedom.
Editor’s Note: This story was published in partnership with San Quentin News and was written during a writing seminar for incarcerated veterans in April hosted by The War Horse at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Tens of…
A German Arrest Warrant, a Car Theft Ring, and a Smuggled Soldier’s Escape
I heard a shout, and two men barreled into my office like lions pouncing on a zebra, my sergeant hard on their heels. The big one was six feet-plus, a beefy nightclub bouncer in the gray-green uniform of a West German police officer. His…
‘I Had a Body Part Repossessed’: Post-9/11 Amputee Vets Say VA Care Is Failing Them The concerns of…
Travis Vendela died three times in triage and medevac, by his own account, after the lead Humvee he was directing in Iraq in 2007 drove over an improvised explosive device and blew off both of his legs. Scott Restivo lost his right leg…
I Used to Think That Going to War Was Romantic. It Seemed Like Another World.
Active-duty service members and veterans thinking of harming themselves can get free crisis care. Contact the Military Crisis Line at 988, then press 1, or access online chat by texting 838255. The Sergeant was living in a car when I met…
After Trump Assassination Attempt, Some Veterans Spread Misinformation. Others Pushed Back. We…
When the first shot rang out at the Trump rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, Jondavid Longo recognized the sound. But his brain wouldn’t allow him to believe it. “I thought, ‘OK, this might be a firecracker, a balloon, or something,’”…
A Hollywood Bad Boy, a Near Brawl, and the Wild Blue Yonder Of all the scenarios I’d imagined when I…
In Vietnam—as in most wars with American involvement—singers, comedians, and bands often traveled to war zones to entertain the troops. These included performers from The Bob Hope Show, the multitalented Danny Kaye, and broadcaster and…
Play Hard. Get Dirty. Use Good Saop.