Military Families

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…

The town seemed deserted. The only sounds were our footsteps on the ancient cobblestones. We wandered down the unfamiliar roads, wondering about all the closed doors and shuttered windows, when we suddenly heard rustling up ahead. We…

The first thing I learned about Japan was that the summers are hot. Extremely hot and extremely humid. I learned this in August 2022 the hard way—pushing an overweight suitcase and backpack up steep hills, navigating from the vague…

I grew up on Air Force bases overseas, bouncing from one country to another. While most mothers were marking heights on kitchen door frames, mine was packing cupboards and taping boxes for yet another move. My father was a pilot, his plane…

Ten years ago, I wandered into my first military spouse hiring fair. My resume read Honors College, summa cum laude and included a section at the bottom that read recently passed a secret-level background check, but my lack of work…

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…

The difficulty of separation from loved ones in the military is no secret. It’s well documented to the point of cliché in books, stories, and movies.It’s reported that troops in WWII would weep upon hearing the song “I’ll Be Home for…

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…

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…

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…